HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — LeAnn Rimes' rumored affair with Eddie Cibrian took another twist Friday with claims that the country star and her husband are now separated.
"Le and Dean have been separated for quite some time now, but they're continuing to try and work through their relationship," a friend close to Rimes told People.
The revelation comes just days after Cibrian's wife, Brandi Glanville, told Us Weekly that she left her husband after the alleged rendevous.
"Eddie and I have decided to take some time apart," the 36-year-old model told the mag. "I want to do what is best for our children. Eddie and LeAnn deserve each other."
Rumors about the alleged affair first surfaced in March, with Us claiming that sparks began to fly while the pair was shooting their Lifetime movie, "Northern Lights."
In its latest issue, Us reports that Cibrian, 36, and Rimes, 26, got together as recently as the afternoon of July 17 at the Malibu home of Jeff Berger, a longtime friend of the singer and her husband, Dean Sheremet. Sources told the mag that the pair have been meeting at Berger's home for some time, a claim that Berger denied.
Cibrian and Glanville married in 2001 and have two sons together, Mason, 6, and Jake, 2.
Rimes and Sheremet, meanwhile, have been married since 2002. The couple met a year earlier when Rimes hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards, in which Sheremet appeared as a dancer.
Rimes spoke out soon after the affair rumor first surfaced earlier this year, hinting that there was very little to the tabloid chatter.
"This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support," she wrote at the time on her official Web site. "As you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white."
Cibrian went even further as he flat out denied having an affair with Rimes.
"It is a fabricated story that is using random snapshots as connective tissue to create a scandalous relationship," he said.