DAVID Schwimmer has admitted he and his wife Zoe Buckman are "taking time apart" after six years of marriage to "determine their future".

The Friends star has confirmed the couple have separated, but they are determined to do the best for their five-year-old daughter Cleo.

5 David Schwimmer and his wife Zoe Buckman are on a break Credit: Getty Images - WireImage

They told Us Weekly in a statement: "It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart while we determine the future of our relationship.

"Our priority is, of course, our daughter's happiness and well being during this challenging time, and so we ask for your support and respect for our privacy as we continue to raise her together and navigate this new chapter for our family."

5 The couple met in 2007 while the actor was working in Britain Credit: Splash News

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David, 50, best known for playing unlucky in love Ross in Friends, met Brit Zoe, 31, while he was in the UK directing a film called Run.

She later relocated from her native London to be with him in Los Angeles.

They got engaged in 2010 and later tied the knot in a small, private ceremony in the summer of that year.

The couple became first-time parents in 2011, when they welcomed daughter Cleo.

5 They married in 2010 and late became parents to a little girl Credit: Splash News

David has previously admitted finding stardom on hit sitcom Friends, playing multiple divorcee Ross, took a massive toll on his personal life.

In a podcast for The Hollywood Reporter, he said: "It was pretty jarring and it messed with my relationship to other people in a way that took years, I think, for me to adjust to and become comfortable with.

5 David was catapulted to fame in hit sitcom Friends Credit: Getty Images

5 The couple are taking a break from their marriage to consider their future Credit: AP:Associated Press

"As an actor, the way I was trained, my job was to observe life and to observe other people, so I used to walk around with my head up, really engaged and watching people.

"The effect of celebrity was the absolute opposite: it made me want to hide under a baseball cap and not be seen.

"And I realised after a while that I was no longer watching people; I was trying to hide. So I was trying to figure out: How do I be an actor in this new world, in this new situation? How do I do my job? That was tricky."

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