"Sadly our news is true. Thank u all for your support,” the Irish singer tweeted. “Yvonne and I still love and care for each other and want to protect our kids. X”

The couple announced their separation in 2010 following Ronan’s seven-month affair with dancer Francine Cornell, whom he met on a Boyzone tour.

They were later said to have worked to save their 14-year marriage for the sake of their three children, Jack, 13, Marie, 11 and Ali, six before privately splitting last December.

On her Twitter page, Yvonne said that following their decision to split the pair “kept this news private to give everybody involved time to adjust.”

Ronan is also said to be relocating full-time to Australia, where he has been a judge on the Aussie version of The X Factor since 2010.

Photo: Getty