Madeleine Sami has broken her silence after news that she and her partner of 12 years, New Zealand musician Ladyhawke – aka Pip Brown – have split.

The actress and comedian shared a photo on Instagram of the couple and their young daughter writing: “After 12 awesome years together Pip and I decided to go the way of Chris and Gwyneth and consciously uncoupleth [sic].

“We have a beautiful kid and are committed to making a beautiful life for her together, but apart. I know a lot of you will be feeling sad to see your 5th favourite NZ celesbian couple parting ways but be assured that we remain and will forever be great friends (lesbian law dictates this with an ex) and wish nothing but love and happiness for each other moving forward.”

The comedian continued to say Ladyhawke wanted the star to share the photo of the family noting it was taken at the balloon festival in Carterton - an event the family recently attended together.

True to form, Sami made a joke: “I thought was going to be a literal festival of people making balloon animals.”

Sami then reposted Ladyhawke’s statement on her Instagram story with a red love heart emoji and said “Come to Brazil”. Ladyhawke also shared Sami’s post on her Instagram story.

Ladyhawke released a statement on her own Instagram account last night where she said she was “nervous” and read from a statement she had pre-written on her computer.

“I’m not used to having to make this sort of public statement, and it isn’t something I do lightly,” she said, adding: “But for personal, and mental health reasons I’ve made the decision to postpone my UK tour in June and July this year to February 2024.

Madeleine Sami reposted Ladyhawke's statement on her Instagram story. Photo / Instagram

• Kiwi actress Madeleine Sami stars in Australian black comedy Deadloch

“I’m so so sorry everyone. The last few years with the pandemic have been so hard, for everyone globally and also for me personally. During these last two years, Mads and I decided to separate, and are currently in the middle of that process.”

She went on to say that she hoped playing music and live shows would help her through the tough situation but has come to understand that touring during such a stressful time would be “detrimental” to her family and mental health.

She added that part of her decision to cancel her tour comes down to the fact that she doesn’t want to be away from her daughter at this “crucial” time.

The beloved Kiwi singer added further detail about her separation from Sami, noting the two are “still very close” and asked fans to “respect me, Mads and our family’s space while we navigate this tricky path”.

The Herald has approached the couple’s representatives for comment.

Ladyhawke and Sami were introduced at the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards by their mutual friend Lucy Lawless and tied the knot in Brown’s hometown of Masterton in 2015, after previously living together in Los Angeles.

In 2017 the couple welcomed their first child together with Ladyhawke announcing the news with a post on her Instagram account. Sharing a photo of her newborn daughter’s hand, she wrote: “Our sweet little girl arrived October 20, 3.27pm #labourweekendforreal”.

Despite being well-known New Zealanders, the former couple kept their relationship largely out of the public eye while pursuing their own ventures. Sami has recently released her new Prime Video series, Deadloch, while Ladyhawke has toured and released music in recent years.

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