'General Hospital' star Cameron Mathison and Vanessa Arevalo announce divorce days after 22nd anniversary

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'General Hospital' star Cameron Mathison startled his fans on Wednesday, July 31, by announcing that he and his wife, Vanessa Arevalo, had called it quits after 22 years of marriage.

The former couple announced they had filed for divorce, only four days after celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary. They released a joint statement on Instagram explaining the decision they made.

Cameron Mathison and wife Vanessa are separating following 'rocky times'

Cameron, 54, who has been on 'General Hospital' as Drew Cain since 2021, and model Vanessa, 57, made the announcement of their divorce in a heartfelt statement that they shared with Entertainment Tonight.

The joint statement reads: "After 22 years of marriage, we have made the difficult decision to part ways. We enter this new chapter with deep love, kindness, and respect for each other. We hold gratitude in our hearts for the wonderful years we shared together."

"Our children have been and will continue to be our highest priority, and we will forever share in our devotion and love for them," the statement added.

The statement concludes, "We remain friends, and both wish the best for one another. We sincerely appreciate your respect for our family’s privacy during this transition."

They got married on July 27, 2002, after former 'All My Children' star Cameron proposed in Vail, Colorado. The couple share two children - daughter Leila, 18, and son Lucas, 21.

The two struck up a romance in 1999 after meeting in 1998 while they were both working as models in New York City. From 1998 to 2011, Cameron portrayed Ryan Lavery on 'All My Children,' per Daily Mail.

In 2022, Cameron addressed his marriage to Vanessa and told Entertainment Tonight, "We've been married 20 years coming up this summer, and it hasn't all been smooth, for sure. We went through rocky times the first five years."

"Getting through those times, and getting to call Vanessa my best friend and fully enjoy every moment together, it's been better than I could have ever imagined marriage being for me," he added.

One of those "rocky times" was in 2019, when Cameron revealed that he had undergone surgery and received a kidney cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, the cancer was identified early on and was not a highly aggressive type of condition.

Cameron Mathison says wife Vanessa in 'self-exploratory phase' before filing for divorce

Cameron Mathison provided Us Weekly with an exclusive look at his and his estranged wife Vanessa's marriage, just one week before the couple announced their split.

"It’s like a new chapter for everybody in our life. We’re just trying to figure it all out," Cameron said on July 24 promoting his Game Show Network show 'Beat the Bridge.'

Referring to his estranged wife Cameron added, "But she’s really on a self-exploratory kind of phase right now, doing a lot of really cool stuff for her."

"And she’s learned the bass and she’s back to her modeling days and she’s traveling and doing things, and I’m really encouraging that. And yeah, we’re just trying to figure it all out."

The soap drama star continued by saying that "really cherishing each other" and being "other-centric" were the keys to his and Vanessa's relationship.

"It feels so good to care about them and their interests and what their likes are and their dislikes are, and to be involved and ask and listen. It’s beautiful and helpful for them in the relationship, and it feels good for us," Cameron explained.

While he acknowledged that showing others affection may be a "beautiful way to live," he advised that it was easy to lose focus when work and other obligations kept him busy getting in the way.

Cameron said, "It can be in your spouse and it can be with your children, it can be with your colleagues at work, it can be with your friends, it can be with strangers, just to really care about others."

"That’s how I try to live. And I feel like when that happens in a relationship, I think it’s the best possible case scenario."