January 17, 2008 07:22 AM UTC

Bill and Frances Owens' are Divorcing

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• by: Go Blue

Ex-Gov. Owens, wife divorcing

Former Gov. Bill Owens and his wife, Frances, announced today they are filing for divorce.

They described the decision as “private and mutual” and said they will remain friends during and after the process.

They also said they will have no further comment and asked as “private citizens” that the press and their friends respect their privacy.

Owens, a Republican, served as Colorado’s governor from January 1999 to January 2007.

The couple stunned the state and national political leaders when they separated over Labor Day in 2003. He left their Centennial home and moved into the Governor’s Mansion.

At the time, Owens was on a political fast track, having just been re-elected governor by the widest margin in history.

Conservative groups around the country clamored for him to speak on Colorado’s education and budget initiatives. His name appeared on Republican lists for president or vice president.

By the time the couple reunited in the spring of 2005, such talk had died down.

The couple never publicly discussed why they split or confirmed or denied rumors behind their separation.

Bill and Frances Owens were married in 1975 and have three children. Two are adults and one is in high school.