image source, Getty Images
The couple married in 2011 and have a child together
American actress Bijou Phillips has reportedly filed for divorce from Danny Masterson less than two weeks after the That ’70s Show star was jailed for two counts of rape.
Ms Phillips, 43, cited “irreconcilable differences” between the couple after 12 years of marriage, according to documents seen by US media.
She was in court earlier this month when Masterson, 47, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
The couple has a child together.
Lawyers for Ms Phillips and Ms Masterson did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the BBC on Tuesday.
But Peter Lauzon, Ms Phillips’ lawyer, confirmed the divorce filing in a statement to US media, saying: “Her priority remains (their child).
Mr Lauzon’s statement added that Masterson had “always been there for Phillips in her most difficult times” and “is an amazing father”.
“She hopes everyone will respect her family’s privacy during these difficult times,” he wrote.
The divorce petition, reportedly filed Monday in Santa Barbara Superior Court, seeks full legal and physical custody of their child, as well as spousal support.
It also seeks to “terminate the court’s ability to provide support” to the Mastersons and requests that their assets be divided as separate assets.
The two got engaged in 2009 and married in Ireland in 2011.
Mrs Phillips, a former teenage model and singer-turned-actress, stood by her husband throughout his lengthy trials in three rape cases dating back to 2003.
Jurors deadlocked last year on each charge against Masterson, leading to an ill-fated battle.
But another jury convicted him on two out of three points in May. Two women testified that he put drugs in their drinks and violently assaulted them.
In a letter to the judge ahead of his September 7 sentencing, Ms Phillips described Masterson as “a life-saving partner for me” and added that she was “heartbroken that he is not home with us”.
After the verdict, she was seen in court crying and her husband blew her a kiss as he was led from court.
The divorce adds to the continued impact on Masterson’s convictions.
His former costars, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, were forced to apologize after backlash against their own letters before a judge handed down a sentence in favor of leniency.
Mr Kutcher also stepped down from Thorn, the charity he founded to fight child sexual abuse.
