Critics of the Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert marriage have been speculating publicly about a troubled marriage for years. The country music singers announced Monday that they are ending their four-year relationship in a divorce.

In a report by Reuters, the couple released a statement saying, "This is not the future we envisioned, and it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter."

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The singers were first introduced 10 years ago at a concert performance. Shortly after, they began dating even as Shelton was still married to his first wife. In 2010, he proposed, and they got married in May 2011.

According to USA Today, their marriage helped catapult the country singers to fame and even bigger career success. In 2011, Shelton joined "The Voice" as a judge while Lambert won a Grammy. The couple was even named male and female "Vocalist of the Year" by the County Music Association.  

Their marriage has been plagued by rumors of instability for years. But both always tried to make light of the speculations by critics.

However, according to E! News, their divorce may have come as a surprise to their fans. A couple of months ago, Lambert shared in an interview how the couple tries to make their relationship work despite busy schedules.

Lambert told E! News, "It's definitely a different way to live and to be in a relationship... we just made it work and we make sure that our time together really matters, so when we're apart, it's not really a big deal because we know when we're together, we're really together."

Lambert, 31, is one of the most successful country female artists today, receiving 2014 female vocalist of the year from the Academy of Country Music. Shelton, 39, is most popular in his stint as judge for four years now in the singing competition "The Voice." 

TagsBlake Shelton, miranda lambert, country music, Shelton Lambert Divorce, The Voice