Elliot Page and Emma Portner file for divorce in a New York court

Elliot Page and Emma Portner married in secret in 2018 after dating for six months. Now the pair prepare to split. Photo / Twitter

Elliot Page and Emma Portner will "remain close friends" after their divorce.

The former couple have confirmed in a joint statement that they have decided to formally end their marriage after splitting from one another in the summer last year.

Revealing they actually split a few months back, the former couple said: "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce following our separation last summer. We have the utmost respect for each other and remain close friends."

The news first broke when it was revealed Elliot had filed for a contested divorce in the Manhattan Supreme Court, New York City this week.

Their split comes two months after Emma praised Elliot after his decision to come out.
Writing at the time, she shared: "Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world. I also ask for patience and privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day. Elliot's existence is a gift in and of itself. Shine on sweet E. Love you so much."

Elliot posted in December to announce he had changed his name, as well as declaring his pronouns are he/they, admitting he felt "profoundly happy right now".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Portner (@emmaportner)

He wrote at the time: "Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I also ask for patience. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared. I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the "jokes" and of violence. To be clear, I am not trying to dampen a moment that is joyous and one that I celebrate, but I want to address the full picture. The statistics are staggering."