And another Bachelor relationship bites the dust….this time it’s the show’s host, who reveals his 18-year marriage is over - Chris Harrison and his wife Gwen have announced their separation

It’s the show loved by some, loathed by others, and there have been more failed romances than successful ones.

Now Chris Harrison, who hosts The Bachelor, has seen is own personal relationship go down in flames like so many of the contestants on the reality show before him.

He and his wife of 18 years, Gwen, have announced their separation “after much heartfelt consideration,” the couple tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“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,” they say in a joint statement Thursday.

The couple lives 35 miles from Hollywood with their kids Joshua, 9, and Taylor, 7. Harrison, 40, coaches both kids’ soccer teams, and is “an amazing father,” Gwen told PEOPLE in 2010. “He’s very loving and involved.”