Dexter actress Courtney Ford and estranged husband Brandon Routh break their silence on divorce filing

Courtney Ford and her estranged husband Brandon Routh are breaking their silence after she filed for divorce earlier this week.

Ford, 46, and Routh, 45, jointly shared a statement to their Instagram pages on Thursday after fans were shocked to learn that the Legends Of Tomorrow costars had separated.

Ford revealed that the couple's plans to address their split had to be put on hold because they were forced to evacuate from deadly fires spreading in some Los Angeles communities.

'To everyone who has loved and supported us, we have some personal news to share,' the couple began their statement. 'After 21 years together, and 17 years of marriage, we have decided to begin a new journey, and enter this next chapter of life as friends and co-parents. 

'We are now and forever rooting for each other as we move through this wild adventure called life,' they continued, adding, 'Our son is, and will always be, our highest priority, and we appreciate your understanding as we navigate this transition.'

The new exes signed off with 'love and gratitude' for their fans. 

Ford gave a fuller picture of her and Brandon's hectic recent days as they grappled with the fires in Los Angeles and her new divorce filing.

'We were focused on grabbing our go-bags and evacuating yesterday,' she explained in her caption.

Ford said it felt 'ridiculous' to share their statement 'with fires still raging' across the region, but the news had broken soon than they expected.

'We are safe, but in shock and grief for our friends who have lost their homes and businesses,' she added. 'Our hearts break for our community devastated by the ongoing fires. We love you Los Angeles❤️.'

Ford also noted that she was adding links to resources to help those affected by the fires in her Instagram bio. 

It was reported on Wednesday that the Dexter actress had submitted a divorce filing citing 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the couple's split, according to TMZ. 

She did not mark an official date of separation from the Superman Returns star, according to the outlet. 

The couple got married in 2007 and have been together for over two decades.

Per the divorce filing, Ford is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their 11-year-old son Leo James — whom they welcomed together in 2012.

She is also seeking spousal support from Routh and also asked the court to deny any spousal support to him. 

The estranged couple have been married for 17 years and together for nearly 22 years total. 

They dated for three years and were engaged for one before they tied the knot in November 2007 at the El Capitan Ranch in Santa Barbara.

Routh is most well known for playing Superman in the 2006 big screen adaptation Superman Returns, in which he starred alongside Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey.

He later reprised the role as part of the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths TV event. 

Meanwhile, Ford has acting credits in notable TV shows such as Dexter, True Blood, Parenthood and Supernatural. 

The now-estranged couple also worked together on DC's Legends of Tomorrow but both exited the series following season five.

Routh starred on the show from the debut season in 2016 to 2022 while Ford joined in season three.

According to Deadline, their departure from the series stemmed from a creative decision to wrap up Ray Palmer and Atom's storyline with Nora Darhk.

Mirroring real life, Routh and Ford's characters are romantically linked on the show. 

Routh's character first appeared on screen in season three of Arrow and also made appearances on The Flash. 

When the beloved character was written off in season five, both he and fans were blindsided. 

In the last few episodes that Ray and Nora appear in, the pair decided to get married and left the Waverider behind to start the next chapter of their lives. 

In a conversation with TV Insider, Routh expressed his and Ford's feelings on their departure.

'Neither of us decided to go,' he admitted. 'It was [showrunner] Phil Klemmer who decided that it was time for us to go. 

'Yeah. Before the season started, got a phone call that that was the situation… [It] was a shock to us, because I always had open conversations with the producers about the whole experience,' he continued.

'This was sprung upon me without communication. So that was a challenging thing.' 

Routh later returned to the Arrowverse for its epic crossover event with three reiterations of Superman.

He donned his costume as his 2006 Man of Steel character from Superman Returns to appear alongside Tom Wellington's from Smallville and Tyler Hoechlin's from the Arrowverse's Superman.