David Arquette, Courtney Cox split

A slasher franchise brought them together, but come the fourth instalment of the Scream series, David Arquette, 39, and Courtney Cox, 46, will no longer have an off-screen romance, as the Hollywood couple have officially announced their separation in a public statement.

The couple first met on the set of Wes Anderson’s 1994 horror film Scream, and married in 1999. They have one six-year-old daughter, Coco.

The split allegedly comes as a result of a trial separation that the couple agreed to undertake to “better understand ourselves and the qualities we need in a partner and for our marriage.”

The couple announced the separation after paparazzi spotted Arquette with another woman, with his wedding ring removed. “We are comfortable with the boundaries that we have established for each other during this separation and we hope that our friends, family, fans and the media also show us respect, dignity, understanding and love at this time as well,” the statement said.