Photo: TNS
Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean (pic) and his wife Rochelle have announced an end to their 12-year marriage.
The couple had previously announced they had separated to work on their relationship with hopes of returning together as a family. The pair have two daughters together, Elliot, 11, and Lyric, six.
"As you all know we have been separated for over a year now," said a statement posted on AJ McLean's Instagram. "While we have hoped for reconciliation we have decided to officially end our marriage. It is with deep love and respect that we have made this decision."
They planned to focus on "moving forward in the healthiest possible way with friendship" and vowed to co-parent their two children together. "We appreciate your kindness, respect and privacy at this time," the statement concluded.
Neither spouse has filed divorce papers yet, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court online records.
Last March, AJ, 45, and Rochelle, 42, announced that they had temporarily separated to "work on ourselves, and on our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future".
In a statement shared with TMZ, they had said at the time that they planned to "come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another, and our family".
AJ and Rochelle — a makeup artist and hairstylist who had been working as a waitress when they met in 2008 — married in 2011 in a Gothic-themed wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
AJ had proposed to Rochelle the year before while celebrating his 32nd birthday, taking a knee onstage at a nightclub in Las Vegas.
AJ credited his wife for her support while struggling with substance use. He had been in and out of treatment since 2001 before getting sober in 2021.
"[Rochelle] was at her wit's end with me," McLean told People in 2020. "She had thrown out leaving and taking the girls, but my ego always told me, 'She's not going anywhere,'" he said. "If I were her, I would have left, but she's always been able to see through the BS to who I really am." – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
