Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston first met on a dinner date in 1998 and married in July 2000. The pair are pictured at the Emmys in 1999, soon after their engagement was announced.

Aniston rose to fame playing Rachel Green in the hit TV show in Friends, which debuted on US television in 1994. The actress went on to win the Emmy for best actress in a comedy in 2002.

The couple's wedding took place amid tight security on 29 July, 2000 in Malibu, California. Some 200 people attended the ceremony, which included four bands, a gospel choir, fireworks and tens of thousands of flowers.

Aniston became close friends with all five members of the Friends cast and recently spent the new year holiday in the Caribbean with co-star Courtney Cox Arquette.

The couple attended the premiere of the blockbuster movie Troy in Cannes last May. Brad Pitt received mixed reviews for his portrayal of Achilles in Wolfgang Petersen's epic film.

Pitt trained for six months to get into shape for his role in Troy, adding an extra 20lb of muscle to his frame and tearing his achilles tendon during the gruelling shoot in Malta.

Brad Pitt turned up alone to the Los Angles premiere of his latest film, Ocean's Twelve - a sequel to Steven Soderbergh's 2002 crime caper - in December 2004.

'Brad and Jen' at the Emmys in September 2004. Aniston recently completed filming the Rob Reiner comedy Rumor Has It, and the thriller Derailed opposite Britain's Clive Owen. The couple announced their separation on Friday.