"The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison splits from wife after 18 years

Chris Harrison and wife arrive at the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood Party on April 22, 2009, in Hollywood, Calif.

/ Getty

(CBS/AP) "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison will soon know what it's like to be a bachelor again.

Pictures: Celebrity Splits

The 40-year-old TV personality and his wife, Gwen, are ending their 18-year marriage.

"Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children," the couple said in a joint statement.

They have two children together.

Harrison got his start hosting HGTV's "Designers' Challenge" before joining "The Bachelor." He has hosted the ABC dating series and its various spin-offs since "The Bachelor" debuted in 2002.

The eighth season of "The Bachelorette" is set to premiere May 14.