Meryl Streep and husband Don's relationship after being introduced by her family

21 October 2023 , 07:37

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Meryl Streep and Don Gummer were reportedly separated for six years

Hollywood icon Meryl Streep and her husband Don Gummer have reportedly called time on their 45-year marriage and have been living separately for six years.

In a statement to PageSix, a spokesperson for the star reportedly said: "Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart."

We have taken back a look at their relationship amid the shocking news of their split.

READ MORE: Meryl Streep splits from husband of 45 years and reveals their six-year separation

The pair have reportedly called time on their 45-year marriage

The couple were first introduced by Meryl's brother in 1978, before tying the knot in an intimate ceremony at her parents' house in September of that year.

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Meryl, 74, and sculptor Don, 76, tied the knot six months after the death of actor John Cazale, whom she lived with in the late 1970s. Streep cared for him amid his lung cancer battle and admitted she "never got over" his death.

Speaking to People at the time, she said: "The death is still very much with me. It has forced me to confront my own mortality, and once you do that, you look at things differently."

After John's death, Meryl had to vacate his apartment and she received support from her brother and one of his friends during that time - that friend happened to be Don.

Meryl and Don became good friends and he let her sublet his apartment in New York City when he was out of town. The newfound friends began exchanging letters and their relationship developed into a romantic one.

The duo were introduced by Meryl's brother

In the eighties, the couple moved into a private estate in Connecticut, before relocating to Los Angeles in the nineties, they then ultimately decided to move back to Connecticut. The couple went on to welcome four children throughout their relationship - Henry, 43, Mamie, 40, Grace, 37, and Louisa Jacobson, 30. Meryl and Don were also grandparents to five grandchildren.

Meryl previously opened up to Vogue in a 2002 interview about why she thought their marriage had stood the test of time. She shared that she believed the secret to a long-lasting marriage was "goodwill and willingness to bend - and to shut up every once in a while".

She continued: "There's no road map on how to raise a family: It's always an enormous negotiation. But I have a holistic need to work and to have huge ties of love in my life. I can't imagine eschewing one for the other."

Meryl and Don are yet to publicly address the news of their reported split.

Chloe Stewart