Another celebrity couple is calling it quits. This Thursday, Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef announced that they are divorcing after six years of marriage.
The ex-couple released a joint statement to PEOPLE saying, “We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honoring what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years,” the Puerto Rican singer and the Syrian-Swedish artist told the outlet.
Martin, 51, and Yosef, 38, went on to say, “Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other.”
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Martin and Yosef met in 2015. The superstar revealed their big engagement in 2016 during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The pair later tied the knot in 2017 and welcomed their daughter Lucia now 4, in 2018 and son Renn 3 in 2019, respectively. Martin was already a dad when he met Yosef, having welcomed twins Matteo and Valentino via surrogate in 2008.
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“I proposed. I was really nervous, and I got on my knees, and I took out the little metal box,” Martin explained to Ellen DeGeneres in November 2016 of the proposal. “I just had it in a little velvet pouch and instead of saying, ‘Will you marry me?’ I said, ‘I got you something!’ Bad… He said yes.”
Two years later, Martin revealed that he and Yosef officially tied the knot. “I’m a husband,” he told E! News in 2018. “We exchanged vows. … We’ve signed all the papers that we needed to sign, prenups and everything.”
The big news of the pair’s breakup comes just one year after a restraining order was filed against Martin by a family member. His nephew who accused him of alleged incest and harassment claimed at the time that he feared for his safety because Martin would not accept his decision to end a seven-month romantic relationship.
Despite that, a Puerto Rico judge lifted the restraining order taken out against Ricky Martin. According to reports, the man withdrew a domestic violence complaint he originally filed in July 2022. “The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter.”
Martin always denied these big claims and even posted a video to be shared with the media to provide more clarity to the situation.
In the clip, he said he had been left “very hurt” by the allegation. “It’s been almost four decades since I’ve been working as an artist, under the public eye, and I’ve never had to deal with something so hurtful like I’ve lived through these last few weeks,” he said.
“I was victim of a lie. Unfortunately, the attack came from a family member … I only wish him the best, for him to find the light.” He added: “A lie can cause so much harm. It harmed me, my husband, my kids, my parents, my family. I couldn’t defend myself because there was a legal process I had to follow where I had to be silent until I’d be able to speak to a judge.”
“Today was the day. Now, it’s time for me to heal,” he said at the time. “I’m very hurt. I will find peace, the necessary silence to see the light again at the end of the tunnel like I’ve always been able to.”