Scottish actor James McAvoy is to divorce from his wife of ten years Anne-Marie Duff.

The acting duo have a young son together and married on November 11, 2006.

They met while working together on the first season of Channel 4’s Shameless in 2003 but agreed not to speak about their relationship publically for some time.

McAvoy has become one of the best known Scottish names in cinema, with appearances in The Last King of Scotland, Wanted, Atonement and Filth, based on the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name.

Duff has become a respected TV and theatre actress, playing the likes of Queen Elizabeth in BBC series The Virgin Queen.

Duff famously walked out of an interview with the Observer’s Megan Conner after becoming irked at the journalist’s line of questioning about her private life.

The Herald: James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff arrive for the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House

The couple have often sought to protect the privacy of their family and asked the public to respect the needs of their son during the divorce process.

In a joint statement, the couple said: “It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce. ‎We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son.

“We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our child’s privacy during this time."

McAvoy is set to appear in X-Men: Apocalypse, the latest instalment of the hugely successful X-Men franchise, due to be released on May 18.