Peter Facinelli & Jennie Garth end their 11-year-long marriage

I’ve actually been wondering about Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli for months. Don’t judge me! This is my profession!!! I look through photos all day, and over the past few months, Peter has been doing a lot of public appearances solo. It never seemed worth it to devote a post to “I wonder what’s going on with Peter and Jennie?” But now there’s a reason to ask – Us Weekly reports that they’re ending their marriage after 11 years together. They have three daughters together. Peter was just out last night at the premiere of The Hunger Games – he brought his daughter Luca Bella (I’ve included the photo at the end of the post):

Sad day for Peter Facinelli and wife Jennie Garth. After 11 years of marriage, the Twilight Saga actor, 38, and Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 39, have split, they tell Us Weekly in a statement.

“While we have decided to end our marriage, we both share the same deep love and devotion to our children,” Facinelli and Garth tell Us. “We remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. We ask for privacy and respect during this time.”

The pair share three daughters: Luca, 14, Lola, 9, and Fiona, 5.

It was first marriage for Facinelli and the second for What I Like About You’s Garth, who was married to Daniel Clark from 1994 to 1996.

[From Us Weekly]

From what I know of Peter and Jennie’s marriage, he is very family-oriented and he’s sort of an advocate for having a more “traditional” marriage. I think that’s why we’ve seen so little of Jennie throughout their marriage – she was at home, raising their girls. Plus, you know, I’m sure she wasn’t offer a ton of acting work, but still. I wouldn’t have thought that Facinelli would have grown into a talented actor, but he really has – I was particularly impressed by a character arc he had on Damages several years ago. And of course, he’s been riding the Twilight wave too.

So… I’m guessing that it wasn’t about another woman or another man. Maybe it was just about his career and getting bored with each other, something like that? I don’t know. I could be wrong. He seems like the kind of guy who might have a side-piece.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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103 Responses to “Peter Facinelli & Jennie Garth end their 11-year-long marriage”

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  1. Up to early says:

    Hollywood marriages should age in dog years…11 years is 77yrs…they had a good run

    • kerfoxen says:

      I read “celebrity marriages should be measured in dong years” and was thoroughly confused.

  2. ninal says:

    aw, that’s sad, since they’ve got a whole brood. they both seemed like two people who actually tried to make it work.

  3. paola says:

    Nooooooo! they were so cute together!!!!

  4. brin says:

    So there was truth to those rumors a while back. I’m sad for the kids.

  5. hairball says:

    I’ve been wondering about them too. Don’t know why, but was sort of waiting for it to happen.

  6. T.C. says:

    Sad. Hope the kids are o.k.

  7. anon says:

    Sadly, I had a strong feeling this was going to happen after he finally started getting acting gigs and now is a “full-fledged actor.” At the beginning of their relationship and marriage, they lived on her success while he was still trying to make it. Now he has, and like so many similar relationships before, it ends. I know nothing of the two personally, obviously, and maybe he’s a “stand up kind of guy,” but I think maybe his head has just gotten too big and he wants to move on to younger and greener pastures.

    • paola says:

      I know his family pretty well, him and I are from the same little town in italy, well to be honest my mother is from there but i grew up there and during my teenager years i remember him coming back from the states to visit the family. His mother and father are two of the most sweet and adorable parents and i know Jennie speaks a fluent italian and she is such a sweet and humble girl, Peter is very down to earth and he was the most generous teenager i can remember (especially when he went snogging with my cousin in the fields) :p

  8. Chell says:

    I actually gasped when I read the headline~ they are such a cute couple 🙁

  9. BK says:

    Is this some kind of Dancing with the Stars curse thing?

    Regardless, it’s pretty sad.

  10. lucy2 says:

    That’s sad, especially for their kids. I kind of remember hearing rumors about this a few months ago, maybe a blind item?

    I like him on Nurse Jackie, but haven’t seen him on much else. I think she’s worked off and on, not too bad considering she had 3 kids fairly close together, and she’s not really an in-demand actress.

  11. Amanda G says:

    I’ve also been wondering about this couple. They are one of my favorites! Love Jennie! They haven’t had any pictures together since the summer and never talk about each other on Twitter anymore. I knew something was up. BTW I always got the sense that Jennie was the one who had a more “traditional” sense of family. She loves being a mom and wanted lots of kids. She has worked over the years too. 90210, What I Like About You, TV movies, DWTS… She tweeted a few weeks ago about a new pilot too.

    On a side note, who would have ever thought that Peter would become so lucky? Nurse Jackie and the Twilight movies. I think that’s why they split up. He’s too busy now.

  12. Shelly says:

    I am actually sad about this, and I normally could care less when celebs divorce. They seemed like a very normal couple who had their priorities straight.

  13. Kiki says:

    Noooooooooooo :'(

  14. islandwalker says:

    Awww- I liked them together, esp. because they have been so low-key and kept their private life PRIVATE for the most part. Sad for their girls.

  15. carrie says:

    it’s not a real surprise sadly.
    He didn’t more wear his ring since several months (some fans noted it during several Twillight conventions)

    i hope the divorce will NOT be nasty:i hope for their kids and them Moore/Willis divorce

  16. DavidBowie says:

    Bummer.

  17. slade says:

    I don’t think it’s true that we saw little of Jennie during the marriage. Whether or not it had huge audiences, Jennie did star in her own show for four years of the marriage.

  18. ninal says:

    blind items are to be taken with a grain of salt, most of them are fanfiction, but peter and jennie were the popular guesses along with amanda bynes about her and amanda hating eachother on the show, and amanda tried to seduce peter and crap to be mean, like walk out naked all the time around him. It said he didn’t. Doubt it’s true, but I would think he would have a lot of temptation being kinda dilfy.

    • Amy says:

      Kinda DILFy? He’s totally DILFy!

      I was looking at the photo of him and his 14-year-old daughter and wondering how strange it must be as a teenager to have such a young-looking and hot dad.

      • MJ says:

        I was just thinking that he looks like he could be his daughter’s boyfriend in that one photo. JG also looks great.

  19. Dangerfox says:

    Michael K just posted this blind item that is now fairly appropriate (first item)

    http://www.dlisted.com/2012/03/12/blind-items-i-guess-you-guess

  20. Ron says:

    My 11 year relationship is ending right now too and it is so hard. Everything looked good, until it wasn’t. I feel for both of them and thier girls.

    • paola says:

      I wish to you all the luck, breakups are nasty..so i really hope you’ll get through it without suffering too much xxx

    • Jill says:

      Very sad to hear that. I hope you can part on fairly amicable terms. Break-ups seem to bring out the worst in everybody. If you have children, for their sakes try to keep it civil.

  21. Kellie says:

    This man makes my heart flutter. I absolutely adore him.

  22. Rux says:

    Noooooo! Just Nooooo! I loved these two together. The first role/movie I saw him in was some stupid movie with Jenn Love Hewitt where he played the douche bag High School Senior Football player who dumps his gf (Love) because he thinks he’ll fare better in college. I hated his ass in that movie and assumed that was his real persona. After seeing him on Nurse Jackie and Twilight and the Damages stint, I was totally taken aback by how good of an actor he has become. I love him as Dr. Coop on Nurse Jackie, he soooo brings the funny.

    I agree with you that perhaps it’s just that they grew apart; he never gave me the douche vibe. I wish them both the best. I have a feeling they will stay committed to each other as partners raising their children. This one divorce does not seem like it will get ugly.

    • Obvious says:

      The movie is “Can’t Hardly Wait” I watched it not long ago and couldn’t believe it was him. (i have a thing for 90s teen movies lol)

      This is sad, and i wish them and their girls nothing but the best of luck and strength while dealing with this. It’s not easy not how even the split and decision may be.

      • Rux says:

        Thank you! I did not want to open up another tab to look it up on IMDB because I am in Costa Rica and the internet here is not what you call fast or reliable. I am saving all my bandwidth for Gmail and Celebitchy — it’s raining so I am catching up on all things CB until the sun comes back out.

        I have a love for 90s flicks but just can’t get myself around caring for J Love.

  23. Carlotta Love says:

    PF is hilarious on Nurse Jackie. His strength in that role has given me a lot of respect for his acting; I never knew he was that good.

    Sad for these two.

  24. dorothy says:

    Hate to hear this. Such a nice couple.

  25. Tmbg says:

    I’m really sad to hear about this and must have missed the rumors. 🙁

  26. Rhiley says:

    Cute family. He looks so little, like I could stick him in my pocket. Their daughter is a knock out.

  27. mel says:

    AWWWWWW – so sad. My money is on a side piece…I hate to be cynical but thats what always seems to come out of the wash. I

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      ITA. You know what they say about a man with all daughters. It’s karma for the way they treated all the women in their lives.

  28. Veruca says:

    Their breakup sucks, but I confess — whenever I look at PF, I hear the words, “I can kick everyone’s ass in this room!”

    And I laugh. I guess I’m evil, huh?

  29. Wendi says:

    I’m a little sad to see that the automatic assumption is that the woman got dumped. Maybe SHE was the one who wanted out.

  30. serena says:

    this makes me sad..

  31. mia girl says:

    Cooooooop!

    Wow, this is sad. In interviews PF seems like such a nice, funny guy and very rooted to his family… the side piece theory would surprise me. Maybe they grew apart. Its seems that for the past few years he was spending very little time at home between filming Nurse Jackie in NY and the Twilight movies on location.

    BTW… Team Carlisle

  32. Jill says:

    I don’t know a thing about him apart from the Twilight films but I really liked him in those movies.

  33. the cheetah says:

    I think Hollywood marriages shouldn’t even add “in sickness and health til death do us part” to marriage vows as they have no intention of actually meaning it. Marriages aren’t just about being happy and fufilled all the time its about love and family and solid foundations for the family you create. It just sucks that soo many people look to Hollywood couples as examples and none of them take their commitments seriously. End of rant lol

    • Jaxx says:

      I totally agree. Those three children are going to be wounded in ways that will never heal and for what? Are these two going to be that much happier apart than they are together? I seriously doubt that. Unless there is some kind of abuse I think couples should protect their children from the ravages of divorce at all costs. There is more at stake than being happy every minute.

    • Daisy says:

      It’s not just Hollywood marriages. All marriages seem to be disposable these days. Regular people’s break-ups just aren’t splashed all over the news.

  34. Camille (The original) says:

    It’s always sad to see a family break up.

    Wasn’t there rumours of them having marriage problems or on the verge of them breaking up a while ago?

  35. Holden says:

    Celebrity marriages, slightly more committed than dating.

  36. ol cranky says:

    Am I the only one who thinks this is odd when, just before Xmas, they were set for a family reality show?
    http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=282&num=393881

  37. Pizzazz says:

    They have a 14 yr old kid? Why did it take them so long to get married in the first place? My money is on whoever had the commitment issue to begin with being at fault.

  38. Cleveland Girl says:

    She deserves this for stealing Dylan from Brenda! Just kidding. but i am actually waiting for Dylan and Brenda to get back together. I know – I am pathetic.

  39. Jayna says:

    I give up. All they ever did was rave about each other, so in love. Everyone is a phony baloney anymore. The only one honest is Katherine Heigl.

  40. Jaxx says:

    That girl is fourteen? She looks 20! Very pretty girl but I can’t believe how mature she looks there.

  41. Cody says:

    I am starting to wonder why anybody gets married in Hollywood, when they know eventually it is going to end and be very public. I can see why George Clooney says he never wants to marry or have children, everybody gets hurt at the end.

    • Ange says:

      To be fair any relationship ending is going to hurt, whether it led to marriage or not.

  42. Daisy says:

    My guess is he wants more children (like maybe a son) and she is done. Hey, at least she had his fine ass for 11 years and has the beautiful children to prove it!

  43. Funnylilou says:

    Poor poor jenny garth, 2 blinds have been solved today on blindgossip and the answer to both is Peter Facinelli… apparently he is into underage girls…and knowing he is the father of a teen himself creeps me out even more.

    http://blindgossip.com/?p=10969

    http://blindgossip.com/?p=11237

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      Ewww. I’m not sure I could think of much worse than that. What an a-hole. It just goes to show, it’s always the quiet ones you should worry about.

    • Zara says:

      Is that even legal for that site to put a blind item, and then identify the celebrity? Aren’t they leaving themselves open to slander/libel lawsuit?

      • anon33 says:

        It’s only actionable (“illegal”) if the information is demonstrably false. So if anyone anywhere has proof that he was cheating he can’t do sh9t about it.

      • carrie says:

        in fact,even if a blind item is even about someone ,it doesn’t want to say it’s true or faithful.
        Here,looks like it’s pretty vague( a married actor in a tv show with kids had a affair with an underage actress)

    • mia girl says:

      Wow, just wow!
      I totally bought his, “I’m sexy and funny and I’m totally a good family guy” image…
      I’m crushed. 🙁 🙁 🙁

    • Jill says:

      I don’t trust any blind items. If they don’t have enough confidence in their story and their sources to name names, they should STFU.

    • normades says:

      Between these blinds and the Himmm controversy, the timing of this break-up is very interesting!

    • Kimbob says:

      @Funnylilou, thanks so much for providing those two blinds.

      Seriously, when I read this headline BEFORE reading this article, I was like oh PUHLEEZ don’t let this be true. This was one marriage I actually thought/believed was REALLY TRUE/REALLY WORKING. I am crestfallen, for sure.

      That being said, I am OH-SO-CURIOUS to know who the young actress he had the affair with. Since the blind said they weren’t revealing because she was underaged at THE TIME, I looked up his IMDb to see his latest projects.

      My guess? Dakota Fanning….but, I don’t know much…BUT…she’s quite young…born in 1994. Anyone else have an educated guess?

      • ninal says:

        don’t think it was dakota. IF the blind is true, it sounds like some costar he met on the nurse jackie set, which would be hard to peg since it could have been a minor character that didn’t even have a recurring role.

        While I think infidelity would be the obvious reason here given their long distance relationship with his work, I don’t know if I buy the blind item completely.

  44. mew says:

    How come she doesn’t look like herself anymore? Oh well, shouldn’t be surprised…

  45. Meanchick says:

    I also wondered. It’s too bad. I hope if they cannot make it work, that they remain friends and excellent co-parents. Such a lovely couple.

  46. aquarius64 says:

    So sad for this couple.

  47. Caro says:

    Not them! Oh, I loved them as a couple and individually. I remember I was watching a talk show (I think Chelsea Lately…even though I don’t like her at all!) and Jennie and Peter were on.

    My Dad, who doesn’t follow celebs (as well as the fact he is from another country so he can’t commit some names to memory), noticed them and was like “who are they?” I explained who they were and he was like “they are in love…that’s love.” So even he thought they were cute!

    As for the ‘all Hollywood couples’ thing I think that is too harsh and I’m getting sick of hearing it to be frank. 1 in 2 couples in the US divorce and Hollywood is a small sampling of the US population. It’s kind of a cop out to say it’s just because they are actors or live in LA. Sure it comes with stressors and some people in Lala land break up because of those stressors, but more often than not it’s the same things that would hurt any other marriage or reason that any other couple would give. It’s not because “they are Hollywood,” I’ve never gotten the criticism we give actors when how many break ups (dating relationships or marriages) have we had in our own lives? And that national average speaks for itself as well. Ok that’s it.

    Just really sad to hear of this…especially since he just has to promote one last Twilight film and he would be done with that period of his life. Maybe the’ll consider a trial seperation first?

    • jc126 says:

      I am also tired of reading how “no one takes their marriage seriously anymore” blah blah. Hollywood or not, there’s a lot of tsk-tsking about other people’s values and relationships. Marriages that we are NOT in. Things can be so, SO different on the inside. Yes, some people are shallow idiot, that doesn’t mean every person who gets divorced is that way.

      Nor is every spouse who gets dumped an innocent party. Some people make life an absolute living hell for their partner and family. Enough so that even if they get stop using drugs/wasting money/being verbally abusive, the love is gone.

      I think some people get all moralistic and start the tsk-tsking because they’re defensive about their own relationship.

  48. mar says:

    this makes me sad. I don’t know why, but I thought they were really going to make it!!!

  49. Newtsgal says:

    Well, at first my money would have been on that tacky orange lipstick causing the breakup but after reading the blinds…kind of sick to think he’s into the kiddies, all the while in movies that are aimed at that age group.

  50. talia says:

    YOu know, he seems like a real father kind of guy, very affectionate and italian. But also too handsy, to the point where I always thought it could get him in to trouble. Even with the twilight cast, where you know nothing at all is going on. Like the way the twi cast girls would sit on his lap and he’d hug them all casually. I know the girls weren’t flirting or he wasn’t, but it was like uh.. If he had been my husband I’d be like wtf was that?

    • cara says:

      he is really touchy. I don’t even see it as inappropriate necessarily, but I thought it was weird how some of the girls at the twilight photo shoot for Vanity Fair would just plop on his lap and kiss him on the lips. You can tell it wasn’t flirtatious, just affectionate. But still, really? I would never sit on some grown man’s lap and kiss and hug like that, especially if he was married with kids.

  51. TheOriginalVictoria says:

    These were my go to guys along with Heidi and Seal. I don’t know what happened, but I hope that they work it out. Why do people marry anymore?

    My aunt and uncle have been through so much crap: bankruptcy, disconnect, unemployment, child rearing issues, you name it, but they are 30 years strong and say they are in it for the long haul because that what vows are about.

    I get sad sometimes because I wish my husband were alive even at the risk of it not being perfect. I’d go through eleven years of struggle instead of only having two years of three years of wedded bliss. Sigh.

    • Jean2 says:

      I totally agree. The only reasons couples with children should split are if one partner is emotionally or physically abusive, repeatedly cheats or refuses to get help for an addiction.

      If you “grow apart” or aren’t in love anymore, so what? It’s not about YOU. And those feelings can turn around with time.

      Like you said, why even bother getting married?

      • jc126 says:

        So people who have fallen out of love should stay together for the kids? And teach the children to remain in a loveless relationship?

        Usually people don’t fall out of love without a good reason.

      • Jill says:

        Say that again when you find yourself stuck in a loveless relationship and you think there is no way out until the youngest child is grown up. I promise you, you will change your tune.

      • cara says:

        ding ding ding on your choice b) for why someone should divorce. It sounds like Jennie had a good reason afterall.

      • Ange says:

        I’m a child of a marriage where the parents stayed together for our sake and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. They weren’t even horrible to each other but I grew up in a household where I never got one decent example of a proper, loving adult relationship. Plus there’s the guilt when you realise later on you’re indirectly responsible for two people you love being miserable for so many years. Honestly, I could go on all day about what is so wrong about ‘staying together for the kid’s sakes’ but just trust me: it’s a bad idea.

  52. ! says:

    Try doing some real reporting. This has been coming for a long time.

  53. Courtney says:

    oh please there are celeb couples that stay married for decades Eva Marie Saint & Jefferey Hayden have been married 61 years come October some people just aren’t meant to be married

  54. What Would Brian Kinney Do? says:

    Since he is single now I think he should date Jamie Alexander. They were such a cute couple in the movie “Loosie”. He looked young and good-looking with her.

    But, I really this like this couple. They were one of my favorite. First Reese and Ryan, Heidi and Seal, now these two…

  55. jc126 says:

    Radar is saying he cheated.

    I hesitated to post this, but I kind of always got the feeling that Jenny Garth was the clingy barnacle type. She left her marriage to go with Peter F, didn’t she? And then he didn’t marry her for a few years. I just got the sense she was more into him than vice versa.

    • Melissa says:

      This. I’ve also always gotten a douche vibe from him – seems like I’m the only one! But yes – it always seemed to me that she was more into him. My mother always told me that the guy should be more into the girl than vice versa.

  56. chloew says:

    I wonder if all this buzz is leading up to him getting charged with being with someone underage. something is up big time

  57. Cheryl says:

    Yes, very sad, blah blah, but I still remember how HORRIBLE her hair was for her wedding to this guy! Unforgivable, really. I remember thinking when she got hitched and her hair was SO BAD, I thought “how is she going to explain these wedding photos to the grand kids in 40 years??” guess that’s not a problem now. Silver lining, anyone?

    Does anyone have a link to her wedding hair? Seriously, What was she thinking?? And yes, shame about the divorce.

  58. Cheryl says:

    Yes, very sad, etc, but I still remember how HORRIBLE her hair was for her wedding to this guy! Unforgivable, really. I remember thinking when she got hitched and her hair was SO BAD, I thought “how is she going to explain these wedding photos to the grand kids in 40 years?!” I guess that’s not a problem now. Silver lining, anyone?

    Does anyone have a link to her wedding hair? Seriously, What was she thinking? And yes, shame about the divorce.

  59. Cheryl says:

    Yes, very sad, etc, but I still remember how HORRIBLE her hair was for her wedding to this guy! Unforgivable, really. I remember thinking when she got hitched and her hair was SO BAD, I thought “how is she going to explain these wedding photos to the grand kids in 40 years?!” I guess that’s not a problem now. Silver lining, anyone? Does anyone have a link to her wedding hair? Seriously, What was she thinking? And yes, shame about the divorce.

    • Jaxx says:

      LOL! Since you were so overwrought about her hair that you had to post it three times I had to go look it up. You are so right! Horrible! Beautiful face, beautiful dress, gorgeous wedding and her hair is frightful to say the least. What was she thinking? That she could look in the mirror and say This IS IT!!! Unbelievable!

      Here’s the link: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/peter-facinelli/images/7061007/title/peter-jennies-wedding-photos-3-photo

      Their daughter was three when they married so that means they have been together more than 14 years. I just think it is so selfish for them to break up their family. Long term relationships have lulls. You stick it out.

      • ninal says:

        they have gone through rough patches before and have weathered them, they’ve said as much. For them to seperate, there’s a good chance something pretty big happened between them. I don’t want to believe in rumors, but third party possibilities seem very likely, given the fact he’s been on the other side of the country for months at a time, either filming for TV or movies.

      • Jill says:

        If the lull turns out to be a dead end, cutting your losses and moving on may be the only way out. Divorce is hard on everyone, especially the children, but they will be more unhappy living with two unhappy parents who can’t stand each other any more.

  60. HadleyB says:

    No I disagree. You don’t stick it out for the kids. How do I know? I was a kid and kids have ears and eyes and kids know, see and hear much much more than adults ever think they do.

    Miserable in your marriage but faking it? Your kids know, will soon figure out. I wish my parents had gotten divorced much sooner than later.

    Many women don’t get divorced for money reasons, they are older, harder to find someone new, harder being a single parent…so while it’s great to SAY they are staying for the kids… Chances are .. The reasons are more than that.

    And same goes for men who hate to part with their cash until their last kid turns 18.. I have no respect for them either

    • UKHels says:

      my friend is 45 and has never had a relationship – her parents loathed each other but stayed together ‘because of the kids’

      and it’s screwed them up big time

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  62. Annie says:

    Jennie is beautiful, but I find it hard to belive that she’s only 39 now and was only around 17 in the first 90210. I don’t mean she looks “busted” or anything, but her facial features have always looked sooooo mature.