James Allen News Center

After 6 years of marriage to Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore has announced that she is taking off her wedding ring and filing for divorce. Throughout their marriage, Moore and Kutcher received much media attention for their 16-year age difference. Kutcher is Moore’s third husband; she was married previously to singer Freddy Moore and actor Bruce Willis, with whom she has three children.   

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton,” the 49-year old actress said in a statement on Thursday. “As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life. This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation,” she added. 

“I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK,” Kutcher tweeted following the announcement.

Things began unraveling for the Hollywood power couple when rumors emerged that Kutcher had cheated on Moore with Texan Sara Leal in Vegas. Leal sold her story to the press, sharing the details of their steamy affair. “We had sex twice. Everything felt natural. We were having a good time. He was good, but it wasn’t weird or perverted or creepy. He had good endurance. We were up for a while. It was about two hours,” Leal told The Sun newspaper.

Moore and Kutcher's recent attempts to save their marriage were apparently unsuccessful. In November, the couple was spotted staying at the home of Moore’s ex Bruce Willis, where they were reportedly working on their marriage. They also attended several Kabbalah retreats with their Kabbalah instructor Yehuda Berg, with the intention of strengthening their relationship and spiritual connection to each other.

Despite the drama, Kutcher and Moore know all too well that when it comes to show business, the show must go on! Kutcher will continue filming his debut season of Two and a Half Men. Moore, on the other hand, just finished filming LOL, a comedy starring Miley Cyrus and Ashley Greene. Her drama Another Happy Day opens in theatres Dec. 8. Moore also made her directorial debut with a short film about breast cancer for Lifetime's Five compilation. "She's moving full force ahead in terms of work," a friend of Moore told PEOPLE.

It's really too bad things didn't work out for Demi and Ashton.They were so in love when they first tied the knot! Oh, Hollywood.