Kate Winslet has fled to Mexico for a holiday with her children after her break-up from Sam Mendes.

The Oscar-winning actress and film director announced yesterday that they had agreed to separate after nearly seven years of marriage.

The couple confirmed they had parted earlier this year, which may explain why Winslet cut a lonely figure on the red carpet at the Oscars last week.

And he is believed to be staying in New York while Winslet took their son, Joe, 6, and her daughter from a previous marriage, Mia, 9, to Mexico.

Pictures of her on a boat with the children emerged as it transpired the pair’s relationship hit the rocks after they made a film together about a couple who break up.

Months of stormy rows followed the filming of Revolutionary Road, in which Mendes directed his wife co-starring with Leonardo DiCaprio, friends said last night.

‘The split is entirely amicable and is by mutual agreement,’ it said. ‘Both parties are fully committed to the future joint parenting of their children.’

A friend of 34-year-old Miss Winslet said she now plans to divorce Mendes, who is ten years her senior, saying: ‘That’s it, it is final.’

The statement was issued after the actress flew to Mexico with the children while Mendes was with friends in New England. His Bridge Project theater company had finished productions in New York of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and As You Like It on Saturday night.

A source close to Mendes explained the break-up by saying: ‘He became bored working on his latest theatrical project, and he took that boredom home with him. And that led to the spark being taken out of their marriage.’

Mendes and Miss Winslet, both Academy Award winners, were seen as one of the movie world’s golden couples. The actress had taken the last 12 months off work following her Oscar success in The Reader, supposedly to spend time with her family.

But the pair had not been seen in public together since an appearance at Wimbledon last summer and Miss Winslet had claimed Mendes was at home ‘babysitting’ when she attended the BAFTAs and Oscars alone.

The couple are keen to avoid an unseemly court battle of the custody of their child and their estimated £30million joint fortune.

The friend added: ‘Kate is devastated. She thought their marriage was for ever and now she has two children from two marriages and both are not living with their fathers.’

During the making of Revolutionary Road, Miss Winslet told how she felt awkward being directed by her husband – particularly during sex scenes with her former Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

She said last year: ‘I just kept saying, “This is too weird”. Leo told me to get over it, but I said, “You’re my best friend and he’s my husband. This is definitely a bit weird”.’

She added in an interview: ‘Going into it, I did have several moments where I would say, “Oh my God, what if we have a row? What will we do?” And Sam would say, “Oh, don’t be silly, of course we won’t.” And I was thinking, “Oh, well, I’m sure we won’t – I hope we don’t”.’

Mendes, who has a long history of dating beautiful women, including actress Rachel Weisz, before he wed Miss Winslet, admitted there was ‘some kind of identification’ in the film.

He said: ‘I think that with any interesting art there is always some kind of identification to be had.

‘We are very happy, but obviously there is a cathartic aspect of making a movie about a bad marriage.’

A source close to the couple added last night: ‘Things were extremely rough to say the least recently. Things went downhill after Revolutionary Road.’

Miss Winslet was married for little over three years to Mr Threapleton. They divorced in 2001. She married Mendes in 2003 during a holiday in the West Indies.

Just three friends were there, and her daughter. The actress claimed: ‘To me, love is when you meet that person and you think, “This is it, this is who I’m supposed to be with”.’

They made their first UK public appearance together in 2002 when they attended the premiere of Mendes’s second film, Road To Perdition.

Discussing her married life, Miss Winslet last year painted a picture of domestic bliss, saying: ‘The children absolutely adore each other. They’re great siblings, and as a family we’re a solid little unit and extremely close.’

Source: Mail Online