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     BEIJING, Jan. 7 (xinhuanet)-- Hollywood glamour couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston (news) have split after 4 1/2 years of marriage, but they remain "committed and caring friends," Pitt's longtime publicist confirmed Friday.

    

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    The couple didn't indicate if they planned to file for divorce, and Guagenti declined to comment beyond the statement, which also said, "We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another."

    The announcement of their split followed months of tabloid stories about spousal ups and downs, including reports that Pitt, 41, wanted to become a father but Aniston, 35, was reluctant to start a family.

    
Aniston is perhaps the most recognizable star of "Friends," the ensemble show that concluded a 10-year run last year as one of television's highest-rated comedies. She also has starred in such films as "Along Came Polly," "Bruce Almighty" and "The Good Girl." Her father is veteran soap opera actor John Aniston.

    Pitt, long one of Hollywood' most bankable film stars, is currently seen in "Ocean's Twelve." Other film credits include "Ocean's Eleven," "Fight Club," "Meet Joe Black," "Seven Years in Tibet," "Sleepers," "12 Monkeys," "Legends of the Fall," "A River Runs Through It" and "Thelma & Louise."

    Pitt, one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men, and Aniston, who became a household name on the long-running NBC television comedy "Friends," met on a dinner date in 1998. They were married in a lavish, celebrity-studded wedding in the seaside California resort of Malibu on July 29, 2000.

    The couple's publicists offered no further comment

    (Agencies)

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