AJ McLean Announces Temporary Split From Wife Rochelle After 12 Years

AJ McLean has temporarily separated from his wife of over a decade, Rochelle DeAnna.

The couple has been "goals" for many people since they began dating in 2006, with the Backstreet Boys member proposing to Rochelle on his birthday in 2010. They walked down the aisle nearly two years later at the Beverly Hills hotel with McLean's bandmates in attendance.

The parents of two's last relationship milestone were in December 2022, when Rochelle commemorated their 11th wedding anniversary with a throwback picture of them, alongside the lyrics of the Guns N' Roses song, "November Rain."

The last 12 months have been filled with changes for AJ, who has been sharing his fitness and sobriety journeys with his fans. He was mainly celebrated when he showed off his transformation progress with the side-by-side photo he posted last September.

However, the atmosphere was slightly different when news of his separation from his wife went live recently. The singer announced the split in a statement where he clarified that the break was necessary to "work on themselves" to get better results from their marriage.

The "As Long as You Love Me" hitmaker noted that he and Rochelle planned to "come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another and our family." Per ET, the statement included a plea for "respect and privacy at this time" from outsiders before its conclusion that read:

"Separation is hard enough without the commentary, please be kind and remember there are children involved."

AJ and Rochelle's love for each other and their family had shone through in the Instagram post that the latter shared in celebration of their daughter Elliott's tenth birthday last November.

The Blast reported that the doting mother uploaded a singular shot of the celebrant — whose name was changed from Ava before D-Day — with her hair styled into buns. Elliott sported a smile as she posed with one hand on her waist, emphasizing her Brittney Spears-inspired t-shirt and the other doing the peace sign. The post's caption read:

"MY GIRL is 10 today! ??? Im going to smother her in love, hugs and kisses today! So proud of the little lady she's growing into♥️ Forever grateful the creator chose me to be her momma ?? I love you baby girl ?."

The post has garnered over 10k likes and hundreds of comments from well-wishers welcoming the celebrant to the "big 10!!" One fan admitted their confusion with the tot's name, stating they were still used to calling her her former name.

Even the preteen's parents had suffered momentary shock and confusion when their daughter first shared her name-change intention. "When my daughter asked to change her name to Elliott, initially, I didn't know if it was a transgender thing, which it is not, but it is a personal choice," AJ divulged during an interview in September 2022.

He added that even though his baby girl "will always be Ava" to him, he would support her decision "a million percent" — a sentiment his wife shares. Rochelle addressed the change when she affirmed that "Elliott's name change is not a gender thing" but a need for "something unique that no one else had."

According to a recent report from The Blast, AJ had no problem getting candid about his alcoholic struggles with Cheryl Burke. The duo had gotten together for the "Dancing With the Stars" alum's talk show, which she gushed about via her Instagram Story, stating:

"This is going to be such a great episode. It was shot when my hair was really short, so it's been a couple [of] years."

Due to the recording's 'age,' the 38-year-old had to explain that her views, especially regarding God, had changed exponentially, and she now believed in "God very much." She then expressed her excitement to have AJ on her show and asked fans to be on the lookout for "a little teaser of what to expect tomorrow."

True to her word, Burke shared a four-second video that showcased her talking to the Florida native about the cancellation of a tour, which he confirmed by saying, "yeah when i went to rehab."

A third Story saw the "Larger Than Life" singer disclose that his alcoholism "affected everybody" in his life, prompting a much-needed lifestyle change.