Comedian Eddie Murphy and his wife of two weeks have separated after having a ceremonial wedding on a private island off Bora Bora on New Year’s Day.

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds married on New Year’s Day in a private ceremony in French Polynesia. The relationship seemed to spell out happiness for the two lovebirds but a separation was announced Wednesday.

An exclusive statement for People magazine from the couple reads:

“After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further.

“While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love, friendship and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level, we have decided to remain friends.”

Murphy, 46, and Edmonds, 40, began dating in the fall of 2006 and became engaged last July.

This relationship was initially a surprise in itself, as the funnyman was reportedly wildly in love with British singer Melanie Brown, better known as Scary Spice of the Spice Girls. As Brown’s pregnancy was announced, Murphy notoriously declared he did not believe himself to be the father and broke the relationship.

Murphy and Edmonds said their “I Dos” in a sunset ceremony on a private island off Bora Bora, before an intimate gathering of family and friends and planned to have the official wedding later in 2008.

Since the first ceremony took place in a foreign country, it is not legal, only symbolic. The legal wedding in the U. S. has been cancelled and so the two are not husband and wife at the present time.

People magazine reports on its website that the honeymoon had hardly started when trouble arose between Murphy and Edmonds. “Eddie started yelling at Tracey in front of people,” one of Edmonds's wedding guests told the magazine. “He did it on a few occasions and it was very embarrassing.”

Murphy is father to seven children: five with his former wife of 13 years, Nicole, whom he divorced in 2006; a girl with Mel B, whose paternity he acknowledged four months after her birth following DNA tests; and a son from a previous relationship.

Edmonds divorced R&B singer/songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds last year, ending a 13-year marriage. They have two sons together.