Arjun Rampal, Mehr Jesia split

'Relationships can end, but love lives on.'

Photograph: Abhijit Mhamunkar

The rumours about the Arjun Rampal-Mehr Jesia marriage have been doing the rounds for some time now.

The couple have now released a statement informing the world about their separation.

Mehr -- one of India's super models -- and Arjun -- a model before he became a movie star -- were married for 20 years. They have two daughters: Mahikaa, 16, and Myra, 13.

In a statement published in Bombay Times, Arjun, 45, and Mehr, 47, stated that they have mutually decided to go separate ways.

'We have always been solid when it has come to us, we will continue to be solid for each other and our loved ones, as we embark upon a new journey', Mehr and Arjun stated.

'We are a family, our love for each other is forever intact and we shall always be there for one another and most importantly, for our children Mahikaa and Myra,' the couple stated.

'We would, therefore, appreciate our privacy through this time. Thank all for their support. Relationships can end, but love lives on.'

Mehr won the Femina Miss India title in 1986 and went on to become a supermodel.

Arjun entered modelling around the same time. The duo met at work, fell in love and wed in 1998.

During the promotion for We Are Family, a film they produced in 2010, Arjun -- who was bought up by a single mother -- told India Today, 'I have a nice family and would never want to rock the boat as I come from a broken home.'

It was rumoured that Arjun and Mehr's marriage encountered turbulence at the time Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan announced their separation in 2013.

Hrithik-Sussanne and Arjun-Mehr were good friends, but there were unconfirmed stories about Sussanne and Arjun having a fling.

Sussanne reacted to the rumours, saying there was no truth to the claim. 'Arjun and Mehr are friends and have been for years. To poison a relationship such as this is malicious behaviour,' she stated. 'There is no truth to the claim that Arjun and I are anything more than friends.'

In the last year, Arjun has been active posting images and sharing updates on his Instagram and Twitter accounts.

While there are plenty of pictures of Arjun and his daughters, Mehr is missing in them.

The last post he shared of Mehr is a throwback photograph from his 2012 Cannes moment on May 19, 2017.

Arjun and Mehr own a production company, Chasing Ganesha. Last seen in Daddy, Arjun is currently working on Nastik.