Nicholas Sparks And Wife Cathy Split After 25 Years Of Marriage

The man who brought romance to the world via novels like "The Notebook" and "The Last Song" is calling it quits with his own longtime love.

Best-selling author Nicholas Sparks told People on Tuesday that he is separating from Cathy (Catherine) Cote, his wife of 25 years.

"This is, of course, not a decision we've made lightly," Sparks told People. "We remain close friends with deep respect for each other and love for our children. For our children's sake, we regard this as a private matter."

The couple have five children together: three sons and twin daughters.

Sparks and Cote, who wed in 1989, had a love story not unlike the ones Sparks writes about.

"I met my wife on a Monday night on spring break in Florida. On Tuesday night, I told her that we would get married," he told eHarmony in a 2012 interview.

Sparks also told the site that Cote had served as something of a muse: "All of the female characters I create have many elements of my wife," he said.