NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Movie director Tim Burton and British actress Helena Bonham Carter have separated after 13 years together, People magazine said on Tuesday.

The couple, who never married, parted earlier this year but have remained friends and co-parents to their children, Billy, 11 and Nell, 7, Carter's representative told People.

"We would ask that you respect their privacy and that of their children during this time," the representative said.

Burton, 56, met Carter, 48, when he directed her in the 2001 film Planet Of The Apes.

Since then, the pair have worked on several movies together, including Sweeney Todd and Alice In Wonderland.