Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have revealed their decision to separate after being together for twenty years. They announced their divorce in a social media post, stating that they jointly initiated the process to end their marriage the previous year.

The couple, who share three children, first crossed paths in 2001 and became engaged in 2004.

Accompanying their announcement was a photo of them dressed in tennis attire, symbolically expressing the conclusion of their lengthy partnership with the caption, "After a prolonged tennis match spanning over two decades, we are finally hanging up our racquets.

" They emphasized their commitment to privacy, expressing gratitude for understanding their family's desire for discretion.

Their initial encounter occurred at a party in Sydney, Australia, where Baron Cohen described Fisher as "hilarious" during an interview with The New York Times.

Reflecting on their connection, he recounted how they bonded over humor and mutual amusement at the party's expense, leading to an instant connection.

Baron Cohen rose to fame in the 1990s with his Ali G character, the infamous spoof wannabe gangster who became a comedy star.

He also starred as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan, and played the role of flamboyant Austrian fashionista Bruno.

Getty Images Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron CohenGetty Images
Fellow actor Fisher appeared as Shannon Reed in long-running Australian soap Home and Away before moving to the big screen.

Her breakthrough role came in Wedding Crashers in 2005, and she also starred in Confessions of a Shopaholic. She has also had a series of children's books published.

Last month, Baron Cohen and Australian actress Rebel Wilson got involved in a dispute ahead of the release of her memoir.

The book includes allegations against Baron Cohen, who is understood to have threatened legal action.

Wilson wrote that she was asked to do some things that were "derogatory to women or to my size" while shooting Baron Cohen's 2016 film Grimsby, and some scenes made her feel like she was "being humiliated" and "sexually harassed".

She likened the comedian to a "fourth-grade bully who teases the fat girl on the playground and tries to make her life a living hell".

Baron Cohen's lawyers have said the evidence shows her allegations have "no basis in reality" and are part of a "cynical commercial ploy to promote her book".

They have supplied video footage of one scene in question, plus email exchanges, script excerpts and testimony from producers and crew members, which his lawyers say back up his case.

The memoir was due to be released in the UK on Thursday, but the release date has now been moved to 25 April. It has already been released in the US.

Noted