Paula Patton and Robin Thicke were reportedly “unravelling” for months.
The couple announced they were separating after nearly nine years of marriage on Monday.
And sources tell Us Weekly their union has been disintegrating for a while now.
"Their marriage was unravelling for a long time," an insider said, with another source echoing: “It has been a long time coming.”
Paula, 38, and Robin, 36, have reportedly been discussing the inevitable end of their partnership openly with one another.
And since the estranged spouses weren’t caught off-guard by their split, they’re apparently better equipped to maintain a sense of normalcy for their three-year-old son Julian.
"It is not a shock to Robin or Paula, and it is something they have discussed for a long time,” an insider revealed.
Paula and Robin began dating when they were both teenagers and married in 2005.
In her separation statement, The Mission: Impossible actress insisted she and Robin will remain close in spite of their breakup.
"We will always love each other and be best friends, however, we have mutually decided to separate at this time," Paula told People magazine.
There was speculation their marriage hit a rough patch when Robin performed a raunchy routine with 21-year-old Miley Cyrus at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
But apparently this isn’t why their union ended. A source tells E! News the Miley twerking scandal was a “non-issue” for the couple.
Around the same time as the MTV VMAs in August 2013, Robin was accused of cheating on Paula at a party. But the couple publicly insisted their marriage was passionate and strong even after the scandal hit.
"The spice is not our problem," Robin told America’s Elle magazine in October. "We're overspiced.”
