Rachel Stevens breaks silence after confirming shock split from husband Alex Bourne

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Rachel Stevens has broken her silence after surprising fans by announcing her split from husband of 12 years, Alex Bourne.MORE: 20 failed celebrity engagementsTaking to her Instagram Stories on Sunday, the 44-year-old S Club 7 singer thanked her fans for their messages of support.WATCH: Rachel Stevens undergoes glamorous transformationShe remarked: "I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your messages of love and support.

It means so much [heart emoji]."READ: Rachel Stevens comforted by fans as she breaks silence following Dancing on Ice exitSEE: mRachel Stevens' Princess dress has to be seen to be believedThe day before, Rachel broke the sad news on social media, writing: "I just wanted to share with you all that after time and consideration the difficult decision has been made for Alex and I to separate."While we are no longer partners in marriage, we will remain partners in parenthood to our beautiful girls and continue with love and respect for each other." She concluded: "I feel so incredibly grateful for the life we built together and will now continue to be focused on moving forward united as a family." Rachel and Alex have split after 12 years of marriageNews of the split comes just a month before they were due to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary with one another.

Rachel and Alex were childhood sweethearts, and they married in 2009. They are doting parents to two daughters, Amelie, 11, and eight-year-old Minnie.The singer recently opened up about their romance on Roxie Nafousi's The Moments That Made Me podcast. "We were childhood sweethearts," she shared. "We went out with each other when we were 12, we met at youth club and I was besotted with him.