Kevin Costner is divorcing his wife Christine after 19 years of marriage

Kevin Costner is divorcing his wife Christine Baumgartner after 19 years of married life.

The American actor, who is best known for his roles in 1992 movie The Bodyguard, starring opposite the late Whitney Houston, has announced he is ending his marriage for "circumstances beyond his control".

News of the split was confirmed via Kevin's publicist Arnold Robinson who said, "It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage."

Kevin started dating model and handbag designer Christine Baumgartner back in 1998 after meeting on a golf course and reconnecting at a restaurant opening, before tying the knot at his Colorado Ranch in 2004.

They went on to have two sons together, Cayden Wyatt, 15, and Hayes Logan, 14, and daughter Grace Avery, 12.

Kevin is a dad of seven, with three adult children  - Annie, 39, Lily, 36 and Joe, 35, to his ex wife Cindy Silva and son Liam, 26, with former partner Bridget Rooney.

He previously spoke of his pride that his children are "normal" kids. He admitted, "I'm really comfortable with my children."

And speaking of the household dynamic, he explained, "Our house is like a river: You've just got to get into the flow of it ... And whatever you thought it was going to be, maybe it still can, but it's going to have to work with what the day brings."

He also opened up on homelife, telling PEOPLE, "I work as a provider. I'm a father and I'm a husband, but the world doesn't revolve around me," he explained. 

"When I'm not making a movie, I'm living and on the freeway with my wife, getting the kids to their stuff or I'm waiting for them to come out of a party. I'm just twiddling my thumbs. People have a wrong idea about how my life works."

Kevin has recently starred in neo-Western drama Yellowstone - where he plays the role of patriarch John Dutton III for five seasons.

He scooped a Golden Globe award for his performance on Yellowstone but the family were unable to attend the ceremony due to flooding near their home so Kevin referenced his wife on social media.

In the clip he said, "Chris has a beautiful dress, I was looking forward to walking down the red carpet with her, and the people at Yellowstone, my cast mates... I'm just so sorry that I can't be there. I really wanted to and I know how bad Chris wanted to support me and she went out and bought me some golden yellow, black and silver balloons so we're going to sit at the television and see what happens..."

He went on to win the award and uploaded a clip of him receiving it in the post, and captioned it, "I got something really special in the mail. Thank you."