Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

Los Angeles, Jan. 8 (Reuters): Superstar Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have separated after four-and-a-half years of marriage, but they remain ?committed and caring friends,? they said today.

The announcement of their split followed months of tabloid stories about spousal ups and downs, including reports that Pitt, 41, wanted to become a father but Aniston, 35, was reluctant to start a family.

Aniston had been photographed recently without her wedding ring, but just two days ago the New York Post splashed a picture of the couple on its front page with a circle around Aniston?s hand and the headline: ?The Ring?s Back On!? Pitt, one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men, and Aniston, who became a household name on the long-running NBC TV comedy Friends, met on a dinner date in 1998.

They were married in a lavish wedding in the seaside California resort of Malibu on July 29, 2000. News of their breakup came in an understated announcement released late yesterday afternoon through People magazine.