REESE Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth faced their share of struggles prior to their shock divorce announcement.
The Morning Show star shared the sad news about the demise of her marriage on her Instagram, releasing a lengthy statement asking that fans show “respect for our family’s privacy.”
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Reese, 47, began her joint statement with Jim, 52, by writing: “We have some personal news to share…
“It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce.”
The actress and her now-estranged husband went on: “We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created together.
“Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal.”
The statement concluded: “We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”
It was signed off: “Reese and Jim,” and comments on the post were turned off.
While the news came as a surprise to some, others cited potential private struggles, noting issues that arose during their marriage, which spanned more than a decade.
ARREST NIGHTMARE
Some fans may recall that back in April 2013 – just over two years into their marriage – Jim, who is also an actor, was arrested alongside Reese.
According to an arrest report obtained by The Guardian, a state trooper in Georgia noticed that Jim’s car was not staying in the lane it was driving early on the morning of the incident.
He made the decision to initiate a traffic stop and reported that Jim’s eyelids appeared droopy and his eyes were watery and bloodshot.
Additionally, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.
Jim told the officer he had a drink, which Reese claimed had been consumed at a restaurant two hours prior to the stop.
The Guardian reported at the time that the Big Little Lies star was “deeply embarrassed” after she was booked for disorderly conduct over comments she made to police as her husband was being arrested for Driving Under the Influence.
In the midst of the traffic stop, Reese asked the state trooper on the scene of the Atlanta traffic stop: “Do you know my name?
“You’re about to find out who I am.”
She was also quoted as saying: “You’re about to be on national news.”
According to the arrest report, obtained by the outlet, Reese refused to stay in the car while her Hollywood agent husband was doing the “walk-and-turn” field sobriety test.
The arresting officer wrote in his report: “Mrs. Witherspoon began to hand out the window and say that she did not believe I was a real police officer. I told Mrs. Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet.”
Later in the report, the officer noted that she “stated that she was a ‘U.S. citizen’ and that she was allowed to ‘stand on American ground.'”
She was released from jail shortly thereafter and was in New York a few days later for the premiere of her film Mud.
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Following the incident, she released a statement apologizing for the way she behaved.
She wrote: “I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said.
“It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband but that is no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job.”
Reese added: “I have nothing but respect for the police and I’m very sorry for my behavior.”
In the end, her husband was charged with DUI and failure to maintain the lane.
MARRIAGE DETAILS
Reese and Jim tied the knot on March 26, 2011.
The Academy Award-winner was married once before to Ryan Phillippe.
That marriage lasted from 1999 to 2008.
She and her Big Sky actor ex share two kids: Ava Phillippe and Deacon Phillippe.
Reese moved on with Jim several years later after meeting him at a friend’s house.
She recalled their unconventional first encounter in a 2012 cover story interview with Elle.
She told the outlet at the time: “This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me.
“He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointing a finger in her face] ‘You don’t know me.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I don’t know you!'”
That guy, however, was not Jim but another reveler.
Jim, she told the magazine, stepped in to save her.
She told the magazine: “Jim came over and said, ‘Please excuse my friend. He’s just broken up with someone.’
“Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation. That’s just kind of who he is, a really good person.”
A year earlier, she told Elle U.K. (via PopSugar) that she didn’t initially think he would be her forever love.
“It’s an exciting feeling. [Somebody saying,] ‘You’re the one,'” she said at the time. “And it’s a surprise. You know, I’m surprised when people who aren’t related to me see my movies. And you’re surprised somebody wants to be with you because, boy, I’ve got a lot of quirks and wrinkles.”
Reese and Jim married in California nearly a year after they began dating in 2010.
The couple shares one child: a son named Tennessee James.
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