Nicholas Sparks Separates From Wife After 25 Years

Posted on January 6, 2015

Bestselling author Nicholas Sparks announced he is separating from his wife of 25 years, Cathy. Sparks, many of whose books have been made into hit feature films such as The Notebook, made the announcement to People magazine. In a statement, Sparks said "Cathy and I have separated. 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. For our children's sake, we regard this as a private matter."

Sparks has written 17 novels and in interviews always names his wife Cathy as his muse for his romantic stories. The couple was married in 1989 and have five children: twin daughters and three sons. Sparks and his wife are the co-founders of The Epiphany School in Bern, North Carolina.

Sparks is currently promoting the film The Longest Ride, which stars Scott Eastwood and is based on his novel of the same name. Sparks has sold more than 97 million copies of his books which have been translated into more than 50 languages. Every one of his books has been a New York Times bestseller, with twelve titles landing at the #1 spot.

Sparks has kept any marital difficulties tightly under wraps from his fans. On December 30th he tweeted, "It's been a fun year -- thanks for your support! Hope you enjoy this new photo of @ScottEastwood in #LongestRide."