Television journalist and wife of 17 years announce separation in joint statement

Jan 28, 2013 15:15 GMT  ·  By
Mark Steines and wife of 17 years Leanza Cornett announce decision to divorce
   Mark Steines and wife of 17 years Leanza Cornett announce decision to divorce

Mark Steines and wife of 17 years, former Miss America winner Leanza Cornett, are getting a divorce. The couple announced the separation in a joint statement to Us Weekly.

Steines, who is now the host of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel, is probably best known to celebrity lovers for his work on Entertainment Tonight.

Leanza, on the other hand, won Miss America in 1993, two years before she married Mark.

They have two children together, Kai Harper and A.J., aged 10 and 9, respectively.

“After a great deal of thought and consideration, we have decided to dissolve our 17-year marriage. At this time our concern is for our boys as we help them with this difficult transition. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time,” the two confirm in a joint statement to Us Weekly.

They mention nothing more of the reasons for divorce and, by the sound of the statement, they don’t have any intention of doing so in the future.

“Steines, 48, married 1993 Miss America winner Cornett, 41, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on July 22, 1995. That same year, he started as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, which he later hosted from 2004 to 2012. He currently co-hosts the daily lifestyle series Home & Family with Cristina Ferrare,” Us Weekly adds of Steines’ work in TV.

Also today, confirmation came that another showbiz couple called it quits, though they weren’t together for as long as Mark and Leanza – and neither were they married.

Actor Seann William Scott and his model fiancée Lindsay Frimodt, an Angel for Victoria’s Secret, ended their 1-year engagement and their 2-year romance, as we also reported earlier today.

They too refused to offer more details on the reason of the breakup, only releasing a statement to confirm it.