Charlize Theron 'rings off' after secret split with Stuart Townsend ~ Beauty Care

Charlize Theron 'rings off' after secret split with Stuart Townsend

For a lad from the outskirts of Dublin, Stuart Townsend seemed to have it all - a long-term relationship with one of the most stunning women in Hollywood, whose box-office clout brought in the millions.

But now his nine-year romance with Oscar winner Charlize Theron, previously considered one of the most stable unions in showbusiness, has come to an end.

The stunning 5ft 11in South African has told close friends that she decided to split from the Irish actor following a Christmas trip to Mexico and has since stopped wearing the antique ‘commitment ring’ that Townsend gave her as a symbol of their relationship.

Charlize Theron Stuart Townsend Hancock 2008

Separate lives: Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend have split after their relationship 'ran its course'

A friend of the actress said last night: ‘Stuart is gutted but Charlize said that she realised during the Mexican holiday that the relationship was over.

‘They had become more like brother and sister than lovers. It was she who ended it.’

While Ms Theron can command more than £8million a movie, 27-year-old Townsend’s career has been less successful.

Even amid his relationship break-up he left the cast of Kenneth Branagh’s blockbuster Thor because of so-called ‘creative differences’.

It was his second big-budget movie setback, after being dumped from the career-defining role of Aragorn in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in favour of Viggo Mortensen.

Charlize Theron at the Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief telethon in Los Angeles

Bare hand: Theron's right hand was noticeably ring free as she manned the phones at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon last week

'I never take it off': Theron wearing the ring as a press conference in New York in November

‘Charlize has remained in their main home in the Hollywood Hills, which is in her name, and he’s moved all his stuff into their Malibu beach home that they own together,’ the source said.

‘They are sorting out their finances at the moment, as they have been together for so long that many of their financial affairs are intertwined.

‘Charlize has never made a big deal of it, but the truth of the matter is that she has been the major breadwinner. She truly loved Stuart but the relationship ran its course. He is heartbroken but she is insisting it is all over.’

To underline the point, the 34-year-old has ditched the Victorian ring depicting forget-me-nots that Townsend had given her.

She previously described it as ‘very, very precious’, adding: ‘Stuart gave it to me as a sign of our commitment to each other. I never take it off.’

But she was not wearing it during last weekend’s Hope For Haiti telethon, nor when she arrived at the Spago restaurant in Los Angeles on Wednesday night to celebrate her mother Gerda’s 57th birthday.

As she arrived at the celebrity restaurant, she refused to answer questions about the relationship.

And when a Mail on Sunday reporter approached her at her £2.5million four-bedroom home and asked about the split, she snapped: ‘That’s crazy.’

Stuart Townsend (L) and Charlize Theron attend the Rag & Bone Spring 2009 fashion show

Togetherness: Theron wearing the ring with Townsend at the 2008 fashion show

But the source added: ‘Charlize said she was surprised the story hadn’t come out yet. But she didn’t confirm it because she wanted to break the news in her own time.’

Charlize and Townsend met in 2001 when they co-starred in the thriller Trapped. Her career subsequently took off, thanks to films such as Hancock and Monster, for which she won the Best Actress Oscar, as well as a £10million deal to be the ‘face’ of the Christian Dior perfume J’Adore.

Charlize Theron and Renee Zellweger Oscars

Success: Theron, pictured at the 2004 Oscars with Renee Zellweger, can command up to £8million a movie

But her boyfriend has enjoyed less success, with credits including a supporting role in The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and a starring role in the American television series Night Stalker, which was cancelled after just six episodes.

Charlize - whose latest film The Road opened in the UK this month - once said: ‘Living with another actor, you always feel guilty if things are going your way and it’s not going that way for the other person.’

In a recent interview Townsend said he considered Charlize to be his wife, even though the two never had a wedding.

He said: ‘I’m married. I didn’t do a church wedding or anything but we consider ourselves husband and wife. We love each other and we want to spend our lives together. I don’t need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise.’

He added: ‘I found this old Victorian ring with little forget-me-nots. I gave it to her as a sign of our commitment to each other. She’s never taken it off.’

Ms Theron credited Townsend as being ‘a ray of light’ in a life marred by tragedy.

When she was 15 her German-born mother shot dead her father Charles, a violent alcoholic, in front of her, after he threatened to kill them both. Gerda grabbed the gun and shot her husband in self-defence.

Charlize said of the tragedy: ‘Our lives have gone on. It’s something that will be in my blood for ever. It’s something that I can’t change.’

Last night a spokeswoman for Ms Theron said: ‘I never comment on her personal life,’ while Townsend’s spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.