Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend Split

After nine years together, Charlize Theron has called it quits with boyfriend Stuart Townsend. The actress, known for her roles in The Italian Job and Monster, has reportedly stopped wearing the commitment ring that Townsend gave to her as a sign of their relationship – at last week’s Hope for Haiti telethon Theron was seen without the ring.

The split came after the couple spent Christmas in Mexico, according to London’s Daily Mail. A source close to the actress said it was then that Theron realized the relationship was over. “They had become more like brother and sister than lovers. It was she who ended it,” the source said.

Theron is still living in their Hollywood Hills home, while Townsend has moved to the beach house that they own together in Malibu. The couple met on the set of Trapped (2001) in which they co-starred together. Theron’s career has since taken off while Townsend’s has been stuck in a rut. Most recently, he left the cast of Thor, the next big-budget superhero film to come out of Warner Bros., due to "creative differences." The news comes as a shock to most insiders who regarded the couple as one of the most stable in Hollywood. –JOE GALBO