A part of us died the day we heard that Brad and Jennifer Aniston decided to end their union. A part of us that we can never get back. The part of us that believed in love. The last year has been cold and hard and ugly, metaphorically blackened with tar and coated with frost. And just when we felt we, like Gloria Estefan after her tragic bus accident, were coming out of the dark, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe announce that they are legally separating. And the thick hoar grows over our hearts anew.

Yesterday afternoon, when we were going about our business, Reese's publicist, Nanci Ryder, released the following statement:

"We are saddened to announce that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate. They remain committed to their family, and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time."

Thank god for that public plea, because who knows how many deranged fans were sharpening up their shivs, getting ready to make a few blind swipes at the little Witherspoon-Phillippe spawn while out of their minds with grief?

No word yet on what caused the split, but a mysterious "source" tells TMZ.com that Reese has hired celebrity divorce lawyer Robert Kaufman, and that the split was not caused by any one incident (like, say, Canadian waitress diddling?) but was "cumulative". Yeah, we have absolutely no idea why these two nutty kids just couldn't make it work. No idea whatsoever.

See Reese's pieces at MrSkin.com.

And MaleStars.com can certainly take care of that Ryan craving.