May 13, 2011 08:59 GMT  ·  By

For a long time, they were considered one of the oddest couples in showbiz, but petite and cutsie Hayden Panettiere insisted she and boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko were making it work. Not so anymore because they’ve just announced they’re no longer an item.

As with Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Rafaeli, who also announced their separation earlier today, there was no third party involved in the breakup.

In fact, based on statements from the two made to People magazine, it would seem that the only reason they decided to break up was that, in their case, distance did not make the heart grow fonder.

In other words, the two stars had serious problems making it work when they were spending so much time apart.

“Even though we’ve decided splitting up is best for both of us, we have an amazing amount of love and respect for each other and remain very close friends,” Hayden says in a statement to the publication.

She and Wladimir started dating 2 years ago and were last seen together as an item at the Tribeca Film Festival, where the documentary “Klitschko” premiered.

“We had a great time together, but it’s not that easy to manage a relationship between two continents,” Wladimir says in his own statement for People.

He too insists that the split is amicable and that they remain friends, hopefully, even if they’re worlds apart.

“I have a lot of respect for Hayden as a person and as a friend, and I believe we’ll keep our friendship even after the separation,” the boxing champion adds.

Last time Hayden spoke about her relationship with Wladimir, she revealed one of the questions fans would ask her was how they made it work in between the sheets given the height difference.

Where there’s love there’s a way, the actress would tell them, as she revealed on an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres promoting “Scream 4.”