Together for 19 years, James Nesbitt and his wife Sonia Forbes-Adam have ended their marriage.

The couple have two children, Peggy (16) and Mary (11) and it is thought to be an amicable split.

According to a friend, James’s career which involves him travelling for long periods of time, contributed to the split.

He spent more than two years in New Zealand filming the three-part movie version of JRR Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit, in which he plays the dwarf Bofur.

The friend said: “The family were out there for a time from 2011 while Jimmy made the first film – but he travels a lot and work will certainly not have helped.

“The separation’s entirely mutual and has not come about because either he or Sonia wants to get together with anyone else.

“There have been no affairs or cheating. They simply made a rational decision to separate and have actually been living apart for quite a few months now.

“Obviously their primary concern is for their children. Jimmy has moved out but is close by and sees the girls all the time.”

James starred in The Hobbit as dwarf Bofur

Sonia, who quit acting to look after her children, lives with the couple's daughters at the family home in South East London.

A spokesman for the couple, who met at drama school and wed in 1994, confirmed yesterday: “James and Sonia are living separately and have been for some time. They are on the best of terms and ask that the family’s privacy be respected."