George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis Call It Quits

By Kat Giantis

In the end, it lasted longer than anyone really expected. After two years of togetherness, George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis have stuck a fork in their well-documented romance.

"We are not together anymore," the exes said in a joint statement on Wednesday. "It's very difficult and very personal, and we hope everyone can respect our privacy."

Confirmation of the split comes just a week after George, 50, and Elisabetta, 32, were snapped dining with friends near his estate in Lake Como, Italy.

The erstwhile Sexiest Man Alive recently shot down breakup rumors, while his Italian model squeeze gushed about the romance in the June issue of Chi magazine.

"I am very happy at the moment, thanks to my man … my fairy tale is continuing," she fate-temptingly said. "We are a couple that never gets bored."

But Canalis also declared that she would be married one day, something Clooney has repeatedly stated he will never try again ("I was married," he told Piers Morgan in January of his four-year union to Talia Balsam. "So I gave it a shot").

Still, the megastar made sure the brunette looker was by his side in May as he celebrated his 50th birthday with a celebrity-stuffed party in Beverly Hills.

"I feel more embraced than ever before," Elisabetta happily sighed to Vanity Fair last year. "The idea of being so loved is overwhelming. ... George has given color back to my life."

Before you start to ponder who Clooney should date next, click on to take a look back at his colorful romance with Elisabetta …