After playing a little back and forth with the media, and maybe holding some crisis talks this weekend, Heidi Klum and Seal have officially announced their separation. It’s sad to hear of such a well liked celebrity couple with four kids splitting, especially one that seemed as solid and loving as these two. Here’s their statement, given to People, in which they confirm the news that they’re splitting:

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, the Project Runway host and the singer say:

“While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate.

“We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart. This is an amicable process and protecting the well-being of our children remains our top priority, especially during this time of transition.

“We thank our family, friends, and fans for their kind words of support. And for our children’s sake, we appreciate you respecting our privacy.”

The couple are parents to Leni, 7, Henry, 6, Johan, 5, and Lou, 2.

[From People]

This leaves us wondering why, and assuming that something serious must have happened to break up what seemed from the outside to be a happy marriage. Seal has been on tour and Heidi has been working both in America and in Germany, which suggests too much time apart and also the possibility of infidelity. According to a new report in TMZ, which broke the story of Heidi and Seal’s impending divorce, there was no cheating going on and Heidi was just fed up with Seal’s temper:

Heidi Klum is divorcing Seal largely because she has had it with his volcanic temper … TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected with the couple tell us … Heidi’s decision to divorce Seal has nothing to do with a third person. There is NO issue of infidelity.

But Seal’s inability to control his anger has become too much for Heidi to take, in no small part because it’s affecting their children.

TMZ broke the story that Heidi will divorce Seal, and we’ve learned this was not a snap decision. As one source said, “It was a long time in coming.”

We’re also told … their careers also played a part in Heidi’s decision. She has become a mega-entrepreneur and extremely rich, and that professional evolution has created a distance between them.

For his part, Seal has a new album coming out and he’s about to launch an international tour.

We’re told Heidi and Seal are still living under the same roof, but that will change very soon.

[From TMZ]

I believe that Seal has a nasty temper, because I remember reporting in 2008 about a video of him going off on the paparazzi and calling them “scum” for seemingly no reason. (You can still see the video here.) Seal was outside paparazzi hotspot Madeo with Heidi. Celebrities know they’ll be photographed there and it’s not like anyone was following those two or finding them at an out-of-the-way place. The photographers there were very respectful, telling Seal they liked his music and asking to shake his hand. Seal refused and said “why would I shake hands with scum?” He then got in an extended argument with the guys and claimed that paparazzi ruined lives. Heidi was kind of cowering there while Seal went off. To me it was a rare glimpse that all wasn’t as it seemed in their relationship.

British outlet The Sun points us to a recent interview with Seal in which he admits that he has issues with Heidi. He said “We certainly have differences of opinion. I mean, she’s German and I’m English, so if I said we didn’t have differences of opinion, no one would believe that.” He then went on to say they disagree about Christmas, as Heidi follows the German tradition of opening all the presents on Christmas Eve. “I just don’t see the logic in it, it’s Christmas, ie, Jesus Christ? And last time I checked, Christ was born on 25 December. But you know what, pick your battles. That’s one I don’t bother with.

“I’m going to make this T-Shirt up saying, ‘you can either be right or be happy’.”

We’ve also heard that Seal has been partying a lot and The Sun reported that he’s spent hardly any time with Heidi. They quote a source who claims “The marriage ended months ago in reality. They rarely saw each other and it wouldn’t be unusual for them to go months without spending any real quality time together. Ships that pass in the night would be an overstatement.”

Friday On Twitter, Seal posted a bizarre close-up photo of what looks like his arm with the caption “The End.” The Daily Mail mentions that Seal’s arm has a tattoo of angel wings on it, (It was such a strange picture that it was hard to see), which he probably got in honor of former Victoria’s Secret model Heidi. Tweeting that photo is the kind of douche move you would expect from someone like Ashton Kutcher, but it does suggest that Heidi pulled the plug, not Seal. So what happened exactly? Was Seal just too combative for Heidi as outlets are claiming? I’m thinking there’s probably more to it than that.

These photos are from 4-28-11, 2-17-11 and 2-13-11. Credit: WENN.com