Demi Moore has announced that she and husband Ashton Kutcher are to split.

In a statement released to the Associated Press, the actress - who married Kutcher in September 2005 - said:

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.

"This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation."

The actress was previously married to action star Bruce Willis. They had three daughters together before their divorce in 2000.