Actress Jenna Fisher and her husband of six years, writer/director James Gunn, have separated.

Jenna Fischer and James Gunn announced the decision to end their six-year marriage in an exclusive statement to People magazine that reads:

“We have chosen to separate. We are sorry for any pain this causes family and friends,” says the statement. “The enthusiasm we have expressed for each other's lives, spirits and careers is real – we have been each other's cheerleader and friend during the past six years and continue to be so now and in the future.”

Jenna Fischer, 33, best known for her role as receptionist Pam Beesly in the NBC sitcom “The Office,” reportedly met James Gunn through his brother Sean Gunn (Kirk Gleason on “Gilmore Girls”).

James Gunn himself is part of the Hollywood scene, having penned the scripts for “Scooby-Doo,” “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” and “Slither,” a 2006 horror- comedy he also directed that featured wife Jenna.

Jenna last starred in the 2006 goofy comedy “Blades of Glory,” alongside Will Ferrell, Jon Heder and Amy Poehler. She has also had appearances in episodes of “Cold Case,” “Six Feet Under” and “That ‘70s Show.”

Jenna will next appear in “The Brothers Solomon,” a comedy due out on Sept. 7. According to People’s web site, in December she will star alongside John C. Reilly in the feature movie “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” the latest comedy from writer Judd Apatow.

James has pursued different interests in his career. He has written several books about filmmaking and he even released one album with his band, The Icons, in the 1990s.

Jenna and James foresaw possible reactions from their fans and posted the following message on her MySpace profile:

“A special note for our MySpace fans – We appreciate your support over the years, and would be overjoyed to have you continue supporting us both. You might be tempted to make one of us “feel better” by putting the other one down in a post. Please don't – we still have the utmost respect for one another, and we'd have to delete you.”

The message continues: “We aren't taking questions or doing interviews about this particular aspect of our lives. We're also avoiding reading any press on the subject, so don't send us any clippings or links about the split. Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy.”