Country singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert announce divorce

LOS ANGELES - Country music superstars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert said on Monday they have divorced after four years of marriage. Shelton, a judge on the popular TV show "The Voice," and Lambert made their announcement following years of gossip in celebrity magazines that their marriage was in trouble. "This is not the future we envisioned," the couple said in a statement issued through their representatives. "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." The two did not say when the divorce proceedings took place. Shelton, 39, has seen his career soar during his four years on the NBC singing competition "The Voice," and he hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards for four years. Lambert, 31, is one of country music's most successful female artists, winning Academy of Country Music awards for female vocalist of the year and album of the year for her 2014 album "Platinum." The couple began dating about nine years ago and sang and wrote tracks for each other on various albums before they married in May 2011. Lambert and Shelton won song of the year awards from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music for Lambert's hit 2011 song "Over You," written about the death of Shelton's brother. -Reuters