1999 Phillippe called his girlfriend (at an Oscars afterparty) “simple and pure.” Photo by: Jim Smeal / WireImage
Reese & Ryan: End of the Line| Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe
It was an exchange that would later be hashed over in tabloids and blogs. While some published reports describe the spat as heated, a source close to the couple says they simply “had a little argument.” Still, within days the rift between them proved anything but small. On Oct. 30 a rep for Witherspoon and Phillippe released a statement: “We are saddened that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate.”

Although both Witherspoon, 30, and Phillippe, 32, had talked openly of going to marital counseling to keep their union on track, the news came as a blow to those closest to them. “Our hearts are broken and our family is in mourning,” says Phillippe’s mother, Susan, 56, who lives in Hockessin, Del., where in July he and Witherspoon had taken daughter Ava, 7, and son Deacon, 3, for a leisurely getaway with their aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. “We are heartbroken and worried–about the children and everything. This is devastating. We just hope things can work out.”