Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are taking some 'time apart' to 'evaluate their marriage'.

That is according to a statement released after numerous US outlets reported that the couple had split up.

The pair have not been photographed together since April with Douglas travelling to Italy alone in recent weeks.

The pair were married back in 2000 and have two children together.

Douglas, 68, and Zeta-Jones, 43, have also both struggled with health issues.

In April, the Welsh-born actress said she was seeking help for type two bipolar disorder, while Douglas struggled with a throat cancer diagnosis in 2010.

Zeta-Jones won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance in 2002's 'Chicago', while Douglas has won Oscars as a producer of the 1975 best picture film 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' and as best actor in 1987's 'Wall Street'.