Russell Brand and Katy Perry officially getting divorced

It seemed like it was going to be announced soon enough. After reports that comedian Russell Brand and pop singer Katy Perry spent Christmas apart and were seen without their wedding rings, rumors that the two were getting divorced began. Now it is official.

The Associated Press broke the story, reporting that Brand said, "Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."

Wednesday, it was first reported by Us Weekly that Perry had plans to take her family to London to spend the holidays with Brand’s family. However, an insider told the magazine that they had a “massive fight” before the flight and Perry decided to go off to Hawaii instead. At the time, it was reported that they were not planning on splitting, especially since they had stayed together through November, when rumors of a split began. "They haven't split up just yet, but things are not good....The fighting is getting worse,” the source told Us Weekly.

When the first pictures of the two on their separate vacations surfaced, it was immediately noticed that neither were wearing their wedding rings. People reported that Perry’s decision not to wear her ring in Hawaii could have been explained by the fact that she was at the beach, but photos of Brand walking the streets of London showed him without his ring as well. Brand and Perry’s Twitter pages, which are usually buzzing, have been inactive and mum on the subject of the separation.

Perry and Brand married in October 2010.