Mel Gibson has announced his separation from his partner of nearly a decade.
The 69-year-old actor rose to fame starring in the Mad Max trilogy, before going on to appear in Lethal Weapon, Braveheart and The Patriot.
However, throughout his career, Gibson’s personal life has also come under the spotlight – which has included a string of controversies and his relationship breakdowns.
Now, the actor has split from his partner Rosalind Ross – a former champion equestrian vaulter and writer – which happened about a year ago.
Confirming the news to People, the former couple shared in a joint statement: ‘Although it’s sad to end this chapter in our lives, we are blessed with a beautiful son and will continue to be the best parents possible.’
After meeting through mutual friends in 2014, the pair soon began dating and welcomed their now eight-year-old son Lars in 2017, just days before Gibson was nominated for a best director Academy Award for Hacksaw Ridge.
‘What could be more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding my newborn son,’ he said in a statement at the time.
Aside from Lars, Gibson also has eight other children.
He shares daughter Hannah, 45, and six adult sons, Christian, 43, Edward, 43, William, 40, Louis, 37, Milo, 35, and Thomas, 26, with ex-wife Robyn Moore. The former couple met soon after he filmed Mad Max, with Moore working as a dental nurse at the time.
They were married for 26 years from 1980 until 2006, with the actor once revealing their separation began the day after he was infamously arrested for drunk driving and launched into an explosive tirade at the arresting officer.
Their divorced was finalised five years later, with the settlement estimated to be the highest ever in Hollywood at over $400million (£297million).
A few years later he went public with Russian songwriter and pianist Oksana Grigorieva – who then gave birth to his eight child, daughter Lucia, in 2009. Their pregnancy announcement came just six weeks after Moore had filed for divorce from Gibson.
However, the couple had split by the next year, with Grigorieva filed a restraining order against him after accusing him of domestic violence – claims which he denied.
When Gibson and Ross met, she was 23 and had been recruited by his production company to work as a co-writer for a script.
It was reported that soon after Gibson, then 58, took her on a luxury trip to Costa Rica soon after meeting.
Earlier this year Gibson and Ross lost their $14.5million (£10million) Malibu home in the Los Angeles wildfires. Although he was working out of town at the time, his family and their animals were evacuated safely.
‘The good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way, that’s all I can care about, really,’ he said on NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports.
Gibson is currently working on The Resurrection of the Christ, the follow-up film to his 2004 biblical epic The Passion of the Christ.
The original followed the final 12 hours in the lead-up to the death of Jesus Christ – including his arrest, trial and crucifixion – and starred Jim Caviezel as the Messiah, Maia Morgenstern as his mother Mary, and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.
Although the screenplay was based on the gospels, it was criticised by some who said the violence portrayed on screen was too graphic, while others went so far as to call it antisemitic.
Despite the backlash, it was a box office success – grossing a mammoth $612.1million (£458million) and still stands as the highest-grossing Christian film of all time. It was also nominated for three Oscars.
In 2016 it was then confirmed a sequel was on its way, with the second film to focus on Jesus’ Resurrection and the events surrounding it.
Although there were initially plans to have the original cast reprise their roles, a few months ago it was announced younger actors were set to take over.
Instead, Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (best known appearing in the Netflix historical drama The Last Kingdom) will now be playing Jesus, while Mary Magdalene is now being played by Cuban actress Mariela Garriga, who starred in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.
However the decision was slammed by some, who said recasting Jesus was ‘blasphemous’, while others said the original actors were ‘superb’.
The Resurrection of the Christ sequel is set to be split up into two parts. The first will be released on Good Friday, March 26, 2027. Part Two will hit screens 40 days later, on Ascension Day, May 6.
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