About a year ago, there was some major rumblings that Charlize Theron and her longtime partner/boyfriend Stuart Townsend were on the verge of splitting. The couple has been together since 2001, and they are generally considered one of the most solid, low-key couples in Hollywood. So any sort of gossip about them is generally juicy – however, last year’s report was false, as Charlize and Stuart spent most of 2009 being pretty solid like always. Well, any year, another breakup rumor. Unlike last year’s rumor, this one does not involve Charlize being a bitch and Stuart having enough. This time it’s Charlize who allegedly had enough, and Stuart is maybe desperate to get back with her. Here’s more from The Daily Mail:

For a lad from the outskirts of Dublin, Stuart Townsend seemed to have it all – a long-term relationship with one of the most stunning women in Hollywood, whose box-office clout brought in the millions. But now his nine-year romance with Oscar winner Charlize Theron, previously considered one of the most stable unions in showbusiness, has come to an end.

The stunning 5ft 11in South African has told close friends that she decided to split from the Irish actor following a Christmas trip to Mexico and has since stopped wearing the antique ‘commitment ring’ that Townsend gave her as a symbol of their relationship.

A friend of the actress said last night: ‘Stuart is gutted but Charlize said that she realised during the Mexican holiday that the relationship was over. They had become more like brother and sister than lovers. It was she who ended it.’

While Ms Theron can command more than £8million a movie, 27-year-old Townsend’s career has been less successful. Even amid his relationship break-up he left the cast of Kenneth Branagh’s blockbuster Thor because of so-called ‘creative differences’. It was his second big-budget movie setback, after being dumped from the career-defining role of Aragorn in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in favour of Viggo Mortensen.

‘Charlize has remained in their main home in the Hollywood Hills, which is in her name, and he’s moved all his stuff into their Malibu beach home that they own together,’ the source said. ‘They are sorting out their finances at the moment, as they have been together for so long that many of their financial affairs are intertwined. Charlize has never made a big deal of it, but the truth of the matter is that she has been the major breadwinner. She truly loved Stuart but the relationship ran its course. He is heartbroken but she is insisting it is all over.’

To underline the point, the 34-year-old has ditched the Victorian ring depicting forget-me-nots that Townsend had given her.

She previously described it as ‘very, very precious’, adding: ‘Stuart gave it to me as a sign of our commitment to each other. I never take it off.’

But she was not wearing it during last weekend’s Hope For Haiti telethon, nor when she arrived at the Spago restaurant in Los Angeles on Wednesday night to celebrate her mother Gerda’s 57th birthday. As she arrived at the celebrity restaurant, she refused to answer questions about the relationship.

And when a Mail on Sunday reporter approached her at her £2.5million four-bedroom home and asked about the split, she snapped: ‘That’s crazy.’

But the source added: ‘Charlize said she was surprised the story hadn’t come out yet. But she didn’t confirm it because she wanted to break the news in her own time.’

Charlize – whose latest film The Road opened in the UK this month – once said: ‘Living with another actor, you always feel guilty if things are going your way and it’s not going that way for the other person.’

In a recent interview Townsend said he considered Charlize to be his wife, even though the two never had a wedding.

He said: ‘I’m married. I didn’t do a church wedding or anything but we consider ourselves husband and wife. We love each other and we want to spend our lives together. I don’t need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise.’

He added: ‘I found this old Victorian ring with little forget-me-nots. I gave it to her as a sign of our commitment to each other. She’s never taken it off.’

Last night a spokeswoman for Ms Theron said: ‘I never comment on her personal life,’ while Townsend’s spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

[From The Daily Mail]

I know I’m crazy, but there’s part of that thinks that this might be partially true. I could see Charlize and Stuart breaking up simply because they had grown apart, and not because of some kind of major scandal. I also noticed that for the past few weeks, Charlize has been photographed a lot solo, or with her mom – much more than she usually is. I’m not sure what that means, but it could mean something. She looks upset in many of the photos too – although, that could just be her normal face when the paparazzi are photographing her. So… does this mean Charlize and Stuart are back on the market? I call dibs on Stuart. He’s lovely.

Charlie & Stuart at the LA premiere of ‘The Road’ on November 4, 2009, one of the last times they were photographed together. Credit: WENN. Charlize and her mom leaving Spago in LA on January 27, 2010. Credit: WENN and PER/Fame Pictures.