The real reason Polly left Grant: 'I couldn't find my joy any more'

Polly Gillespie says she left Grant Kereama after 'something inside me shifted'. They're seen together at the premiere of The Lovely Bones in 2009.

Polly Gillespie has compared her marriage split from Grant Kereama to the Pixar movie Inside Out, saying she "couldn't find my joy any more".

Gillespie and Kereama announced their separation to The Hits listeners live on air last week, shocking fans by saying they had been "living apart" for two weeks.

Listen to the announcement below:

Without offering any more details, the parents of three children said the split was amicable and they would continue hosting their morning radio show together.

But in her latest column in this week's issue of Woman's Day, Gillespie opens up about the split, saying she made the call to move out from the family home because "something inside me shifted".

"I didn't move out because Granty did anything wrong," she writes. "I didn't move out after a fight. I didn't move out because I don't love my family beyond anything in the universe.

"I moved out because there was a shift in me. Something inside me shifted and I couldn't find my joy any more.

"It was a little like that great new animated movie Inside Out. I lost my joy and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't chase her down ..."

Inside Out is the latest hit from Pixar and follows a young girl called Riley and the characters inside her head who play her five emotions: joy, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger.

Gillespie said she had come to the decision after "a lot of soul-searching" and she and Kereama remained "best friends".

The pair joked about the split in a press release issued last week.

"There's still a lot of love between us after so many years of marriage. We were hoping to say we've 'consciously uncoupled' but quickly realised that Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin had already used that - let's just run with it and hope they don't see.

"We're happy, loving and the best of friends. We absolutely love working together - even after getting up at 3am for so many years (and there will be many more!) We are still so committed to our family and our listening family."

- nzherald.co.nz