'The Notebook' Author Nicholas Sparks Announces Separation From Wife After 25 Years of Marriage
Best-selling author Nicholas Sparks announced Tuesday that he and wife Cathy are separating after over 25 years of marriage.
"The Lucky One" author shared the sad news in a statement, explaining that the decision was not made with ease.
"Cathy and I have separated," Sparks said, according to People magazine. "This is, of course, not a decision we've made lightly. We remain close friends with deep respect for each other and love for our children."
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Sparks and his estranged wife share three sons and twin daughters together; Miles, Landon, Ryan, Lexie and Savannah.
"For our children's sake, we regard this as a private matter," he added of the separation.
Best known for his book "The Notebook" which became a film starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, Sparks has also penned a total of 17 novels and a non-fiction book. Nine of those works have been adapted to the big screen, including "The Last Song" with Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, "Safe Haven" with Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel, and, more recently, "Best of Me" with Michelle Monaghan.
News of Sparks' split comes as a shock to fans, especially since the Christian author has often credited his wife for inspiration in his touching love stories.
"Every morning when I wake up and see my wife; that is the kind of love that I write about in the novels," he said in 2013, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While Cathy may have inspired his writing, Sparks told The Christian Post that his faith informs it. The novelist explained the lack of adultery and pre-marital sex between minors in his stories – omissions that reflect his Christian views.
"I have these lines that I don't cross," he said during a CP interview in 2010. "I don't write with profanity, I don't write about adultery… I just don't write it. I know it happens, I'm not naïve. But just because it does happen, it doesn't happen to a hundred percent of young people, so I want people to know that, 'Hey, you're 17, you can be in love and not go all the way.' These choices are informed by my theology. I'm also very comfortable writing about faith, for instance in [my books] 'The Last Song' and in 'A Walk to Remember.'"
