Jenna Fischer and James Gunn Photo by: Charles Harris / AdMedia

Jenna Fischer and her writer/director husband, James Gunn, have separated after more than six years of marriage, the couple tell PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

"We have chosen to separate. We are sorry for any pain this causes family and friends," says the statement. "The enthusiasm we have expressed for each other's lives, spirits and careers is real we have been each other's cheerleader and friend during the past six years and continue to be so now and in the future."

In a note on a MySpace page, the couple thank fans for their support. They also add about the split: "You might be tempted to make one of us 'feel better' by putting the other one down in a post. Please don't we still have the utmost respect for one another, and we'd have to delete you."

Fischer, 33, and Gunn were originally introduced by Gunn's brother, Gilmore Girls actor Sean Gunn.

Fischer who spent much of the summer recuperating from a back injury she sustained after falling at an NBC party in mid-May currently stars as Pam Beesly on NBC's hit The Office, for which she has been nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. In December, she will star alongside John C. Reilly in the feature movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the latest comedy from writer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin).

Movie writer/director Gunn, who penned 2004's Dawn of the Dead and directed last year's Slither (which co-starred Fischer), is currently developing his next project, a comedy.