LOS ANGELES • Months after he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and paid a lengthy tribute to his wife of eight years, action star Chris Pratt says he is splitting up with comic actress Anna Faris.

"Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time and we're really disappointed," Pratt, 38, said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Sunday.

Faris, 40, posted a statement along the same lines on her social media pages.

The couple, whose son Jack turns five this month, said: "Our son has two parents who love him very much and, for his sake, we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward."

When the pair met on the set of the movie Take Me Home Tonight in 2007, the actress was preparing to divorce her first husband, actor Ben Indra. Pratt was a television actor and Faris was the bigger name, having starred in the Scary Movie franchise.

That changed after they wed in Bali in 2009, as he went to great lengths to sculpt an action hero's physique. He has since become one of Hollywood's most-sought-after leading men, thanks to roles in the blockbusters Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) and Jurassic World (2015).

As he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April, he told her: "Without you, none of this would mean anything."

She said then: "I know that if our circumstances were different and we weren't as fortunate to be standing here and leading our Hollywood life, we would be happy in the woods together."

On Sunday, they said: "We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another."

Jurassic World is the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. Pratt is due to reprise the role of dinosaur trainer Owen Grady in the sequel, due out next year.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS