Rachael Leigh Cook, Daniel Gillies separate after 15 years of marriage

June 14 (UPI) -- Celebrity couple Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies have separated after nearly 15 years of marriage.

The 39-year-old actress and 43-year-old actor shared their difficult decision to split up in a joint statement Thursday on Instagram.

"With deep gratitude for every year we have spent together and the thousands of beautiful memories shared, we have mutually decided to separate as a couple," the pair wrote.

"This decision isn't one we have come to easily or lightly. We love and respect each other as parents, people and artists and look forward to maintaining the best parts of our relationship for many years to come," they said.

Cook and Gillies are parents to 5-year-old daughter Charlotte Easton and 4-year-old son Theodore Vigo. The pair asked for privacy on behalf of their children.

"Your discretion in this matter is kindly requested for the sake of our children during this time of transition," they said. "Thank you to those of you who are already aware; for your tremendous compassion and understanding."

Cook and Gillies married in August 2004. Cook recalled their whirlwind romance in an interview with People magazine in 2013 during her first pregnancy.

""We got married incredibly fast," the star told the magazine.

"We got engaged after dating for maybe five months and we got married a couple months after that. There was just so much more both of us wanted to do. We wanted to travel and accomplish a lot more in our professional lives."

Cook is known for the films She's All That and Josie and the Pussycats, and has also appeared on Psych, Perception and Criminal Minds. Gillies played Elijah Mikaelson on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.