People News

Ashley Judd and her husband split

Jan 30, 2013, 15:01 GMT

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd and her husband Dario Franchitti have separated.

The 'Dolphin Tale' actress and the Scottish racing driver have decided to end their 11-year marriage but despite the break-up they insist they will 'always be family'.

A statement released by the pair read: 'We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed.'

Ashley, 44, and Dario, 39, got engaged in December 1999 and married in December 2001, at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch, Scotland.

During their union, the couple - who never had children -divided their time between Dario's home country and their American farm outside Franklin, Tennessee.

Last July, they put their restored Georgian mansion, located in Stirlingshire, Scotland, on the market for £3.8 million.

At the time, Ashley and Dario - who has won the Indianapolis 500 race three times - claimed they were selling up because their seven pet dogs were too old to make the journey from America to Britain.

Although the property was in a state of disrepair and took them five years to restore and modernise, the 'Missing' star knew she wanted it as soon as she saw it.

She said: 'It fitted that romantic picture and standard that had been set for me in terms of Scottish beauty. We walked into the house and I remember my first words, 'It's an absolute dump, I have to have it!' '