‘Reacher’ actor Alan Ritchson has split from his wife of 20 years, Catherine Ritchson. The actor announced the divorce in an Instagram post on Saturday afternoon.
Catherine, a financial analyst who has also moonlighted as a writer and producer, was Alan Ritchson’s high school sweetheart. They share three sons: Calem, Edan, and Amory. The announcement of the divorce came as a shock to many fans of the actor.
“After twenty years together, Cat and I have decided to end our marriage and continue alongside one another in a different way,” Alan Ritchson’s Instagram post read. “We grew up together. We built a life and a family together. And we are raising three incredible boys who will always be the center of our world.”
“Nothing can diminish what these years have meant to us — or the love and respect we will always share,” the 43-year-old actor continued. “The best gift we can give one another — and our boys — right now is friendship, grace and a commitment to becoming the strongest co-parents we can be.”
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Why Did Alan and Catherine Ritchson Separate?
The statement did not announce a cause for their separation. So far, there have been no reports about what led to the split. The statement, however, added that they want to “give each other room to grow into the people we are becoming.” No further explanation on why the separation took place was provided by the former couple.
As the family of three young boys deal with the tragedy, let’s take a look at their 20 years of marriage and the family they built together.
Alan Ritchson Family: Who Are Their Three Children?
Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson began their relationship as teenagers in Florida. They met in a ballet class when Alan was 17, and Catherine was 16. They dated that summer, separated, and later reconnected when Catherine was at the University of Florida. They married on May 12, 2006. Their first son Calem was born in 2012; their second son Edan in 2013; and third son Amory in 2015.
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Ritchson frequently spoke warmly about their marriage. For their 15th anniversary, he wrote that they had endured “precarious highs and the suffocating lows” while still “holding hands.” In 2022, he joked that the “thick and thin” they experienced was mostly his fault. He also recalled falling for Catherine because she brought him cookies before his performances.