Ricky Martin and his husband Jwan Yosef are going their separate ways. The Puerto Rican superstar and the Syrian-Swedish artist confirmed Thursday morning that they are divorcing after six years of marriage. Martin and Yosef married in 2018 and share two children – daughter Lucia, born in 2018, and son Renn, born in 2019.
In a joint statement shared with PEOPLE, the pair announced, “We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honoring what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years.” Martin and Yosef added that their “greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other.” In addition to co-parenting their two children together, Martin will also continue to raise his twin sons Matteo and Valentino, born in 2008, as a single parent.
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The “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer and Yosef began dating after first meeting through Instagram in 2015, the former couple later making their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2016 amFAR Inspiration Gala in Brazil. Later that year, Martin announced during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that they were engaged.
“I was really nervous,” Martin said of the proposal, “but I got on my knees, and I took out the little metal box. I just had it in a little velvet pouch. And instead of saying, ‘Would you marry me?’ I said, ‘I got you something!’ Bad! And then he was like, ‘Yes?’ I said, ‘I want to spend my life with you,’ and he was like, ‘What is the question?’ (I said) ‘Would you marry me?’ That’s it.’”
Martin and Yosef tied the knot in 2018, the singer tellingE! News in January that year, “I’m a husband, but we’re doing a heavy party in a couple of months.” Martin confirmed, “We’ve exchanged vows, and we swear everything, and we signed all the papers that we needed to sign – prenups and everything.” He also hinted that they planned to celebrate their marriage with “a heavy party” after making their union official.
The former couple went on to welcome their first child together, daughter Lucia, in 2018, with Renn following a year later. Martin is also dad to 14-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino, whom he welcomed via a surrogate in 2008.
