Todd Bridges has split from his wife Bettijo B. Hirschi

In a statement shared via PEOPLE, Bridges explained: "After much prayer and reflection, my spouse and I have made the difficult decision to separate.

"This was not an easy choice, and it comes with a heavy heart, but also with love and gratitude for the life we shared.

"I thank God for the time we've had together, the lessons we've learned, and the family we've built. Even in this season of change, I trust He is guiding us both toward healing, peace, and new beginnings.

"I ask for privacy as we navigate this transition and continue to lift my former partner up in prayer, wishing them joy and fulfillment in the chapters ahead."

Bridges - who is best known for playing Willis Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes - was previously married to first wife Dori before striking up a romance with designer Bettijo in 2022. He is dad to two grown-up children - Spencir, 28, and daughter Bo, 29 -from previous relationships while Hirschi is mother to four kids of her own.

The pair met through a mutual friend when Hirschi's pal set up a dating profile for her and showed it to the actor.

At the time of their wedding at Greystone Mansion and Gardens in Beverly Hills, California in September, 2022, Bridges told PEOPLE: "We met through a friend that I've [known] for a long time named Mandy.

"I was supposed to actually be setting her up with someone else, but it didn't go that way. When I met her, I was like: 'I'm not going to set her up with anyone else. I want her for myself'."

The pair met at the start of 2022 and Bridges proposed after six months of dating. They walked down the aisle in an intimate ceremony in front of around 40 friends and family just nine months after they first met.