Courtney Ford has split from Brandon Routh

According to TMZ, the paperwork lodged with the court saw the 46-year-old actress cite irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the breakdown of her marriage and she is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their 12-year-old son Leo.

Courtney has also asked to be awarded spousal support and ticked the box to terminate the court's ability to grant the same to the 45-year-old actor.

The former couple dated for more than three years before Brandon popped the question in 2006, and they went on to tie the knot at El Capitan Ranch in Santa Barbara in 2007.

Brandon and Courtney previously starred together in DC's 'Legends of Tomorrow' but both left following season five, with the actor - who played Ray Palmer/ Atom from the show's debut season in 2006 - admitting they were shocked to have been written out.

Their exits saw Ray and Courtney's alter ego Nora Darhk decide to get married and leave the Waverider behind for the next chapter of their lives.

Speaking of their exits, Brandon told TV Insider: "Neither of us decided to go. It was [showrunner] Phil Klemmer who decided that it was time for us to go.

"Before the season started, got a phone call that that was the situation... [It] was a shock to us, because I always had open conversations with the producers about the whole experience.

"This was sprung upon me without communication. So that was a challenging thing."

The 'Ick' star previously praised fatherhood for giving him a better perspective on life.

He told UPI: "Being a father makes a big difference in understanding past patterns as a kid. [It teaches me] about being a better human all the time and more gracious."