AJ McLean and his wife Rochelle say they're moving forward in a ‘healthiest’ way ‘by ending our marriage’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 'Backstreet Boys' singer and his estranged wife Rochelle McLean of 11 years have announced their divorce on New Year’s Day after being separated for 'over a year.'

They said they made the decision with “deep love and respect” and will focus on “friendship and coparenting” their two daughters.

AJ and Rochelle’s separation and divorce statements

AJ McLean and Rochelle McLean shared the news of their divorce on Instagram, writing, “As you all know we have been separated for over a year now. While we have hoped for reconciliation we have decided to officially end our marriage."

The post added, "It is with deep love and respect that we have made this decision. Our focus now is moving forward in the healthiest possible way with friendship and coparenting our girls at the forefront of this next chapter."

Asking for privacy, they ended the statement by writing, "We appreciate your kindness respect and privacy at this time. Thank you, Alexander and Rochelle Mclean.”

AJ McLean and Rochelle McLean were working to come back together 

The couple had previously announced their separation in March 2023, saying, “Marriage is hard but worth it.

"We have mutually decided to separate temporarily to work on ourselves and on our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future. The plan is to come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another and our family. We ask for respect and privacy at this time," their statement read.

"Separation is hard enough without the commentary, please be kind and remember there are children involved,” it further stated.

AJ, 45, and Rochelle, 42, met in March 2009 and got engaged in Las Vegas in January 2010. They tied the knot in a goth-themed wedding in Beverly Hills in December 2011.

They welcomed their first daughter, Elliott, in November 2012 and their second daughter, Lyric, in March 2017.

AJ and Rochelle talked 'every day' despite living separately 

Despite their separation, AJ and Rochelle had expressed their hopes for reconciliation and said they were in therapy. In November 2023, AJ revealed on Cheryl Burke’s podcast 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' that they were still living separately but talking every day and spending more time together.

He said, “We still live separately, but we are in couples therapy. We are in individual therapy. We talk every day. We are spending more time together. We just have to rebuild something that was never there from the beginning," as reported by Us Weekly.

However, a source told PageSix that the duo’s breakup “was a long time coming” and that “there is more to the story.”

The source did not elaborate on the details but hinted that there might be some drama behind the scenes.