Jennifer Lopez Is Single Again After Split From Alex Rodriguez

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez ended their 4-year long courtship and officially parted ways on Thursday.

The retired Major League Baseball star, 45, and the performing sensation, 51, who had been a couple since 2017, announced their split in a joint statement in an interview to the ‘Today" show. This announcement comes as a flip-flop to an announcement made in March dismissing reports by Page Six about their breakup in March.

The shocking news of their separation came after the celebrity couple had to delay their wedding twice, and after reports emerged that the former Yankees third baseman had been involved with a young reality star, a source told Page Six.

The two who go by the nicknames JLo and A-Rod had rubbished the rumors of their split when it surfaced in early March and had said they were working on their relationship. At the time, a source had told People magazine, “They never formally ended their relationship and never spoke about it, but they are still together.” People also reported that there was no third party involved in the rough patch the couple was trying to smoothen. Lopez had also mentioned that the two had sought therapy.

On Thursday, in a statement shared exclusively with Today, the couple said they were better as friends and had decided to call it quits.

The statement said the two would continue to work together and support each other on their shared businesses and projects. "We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support," the statement read.

Rodriguez confirmed the split on Instagram on Thursday, tagging Lopez in his Instagram story. Framed images of the couple, their children, and a shot of "Jennifer and Alex" written in sand with a heart around their names are shown in the video. The video's background score was Coldplay's "Fix You", echoing Chris Martin's words, "When you lose something you can't replace, tears stream down your face."

During the course of their relationship, the two talked about each other and their blended families on social media, showed respect for each other's joint and separate businesses and often spoke about their bond in interviews.

Lopez has two daughters from her previous marriage to singer Marc Anthony, 13-year-old Emme, and Max, and Rodriguez is co-parent to his two daughters Natasha, 16, and Ella, 12 from his previous marriage to Cynthia Scurtis.