Mel Gibson, 69, separates from 35-year-old partner Rosalind Ross after nine years together

The former couple share an eight-year-old son named Lars

Mel Gibson and his longtime girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, have separated.

The Oscar winner, 69, and the screenwriter, 35, reportedly ended their relationship over one year ago, but they will continue to co-parent their young son, Lars, together.

“Although it’s sad to end this chapter in our lives, we are blessed with a beautiful son and will continue to be the best parents possible,” Gibson and Ross told People magazine in a joint statement.

The Independent has contacted Gibson’s representatives for comment.

The former couple first met in 2014 through mutual friends and began dating shortly after. In 2017, it was announced that Ross was pregnant.

Gibson and Ross met through mutual friends in 2014 (Getty Images)

The Braveheart star and Ross have largely kept their relationship private over the years, although they did make their red carpet debut in 2016 at the 69th Cannes Film Festival and also walked the red carpet at the 2017 Oscars.

Despite remaining private, the former couple was still criticized for their 34-year age gap, which Gibson commented on when speaking to The Mirror in 2016.

“Regarding age and relationships, it's just a number,” he told the publication. “We dig each other. She is an adult, and we dig each other. It might cause a problem, and one has a trepidation about these things, but it's working out great. She is a really special person. I dig her. So there you go. That's it. What more can one ask?”

Earlier this year, the two lost their Malibu home in the Los Angeles wildfires. Although Gibson was working out of town at the time, he said his family and their animals were safely evacuated.

“The good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we're all happy and healthy and out of harm's way, that's all I can care about, really,” he said during an appearance on NewsNation in January.

He also explained that his home was “perfectly burned” in the fires to the point of no longer having any possessions.

“You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff,” Gibson said. “You remember George Carlin talking about your stuff? I had my stuff there, and it's all like, I've been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it's all in cinders.”

In addition to Lars, Gibson has eight older children. He has one daughter, Hannah, 45, and six sons, Christian, 43, Edward, 43, William, 40, Louis, 37, Milo, 35, and Thomas, 26, with his ex-wife, Robyn Moore, plus 16-year-old daughter Lucia with his ex-girlfriend, songwriter and pianist Oksana Grigorieva.