Victoria Wood has separated from magician Geoffrey Durham after 22 years of marriage.

A spokesman said the couple had made the decision with "great sadness".

He added: "The separation is entirely amicable. There are no other parties involved.

"They have asked for their privacy to be respected."

Wood, 49, and Durham, who uses the stage name The Great Soprendo, have two children, Grace, 13, and Henry, 10.

The couple met in the 70s when they were struggling actors in the north, and their long-standing marriage was thought to be one of the strongest in showbusiness.

Wood - a Quaker - once said: "Fidelity is truly important to us. It's hard enough to keep a relationship going as it is. If you start having sex with other people, it makes life so complicated.

"Apart from the extra laundry involved and all those lies you have to tell, it just wouldn't be worth it."