Inside Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth’s private marital struggles, including ’embarrassing’ drunk arrests

REESE Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth faced their fair share of struggles ahead of their shock divorce announcement.

The Morning Show star shared the sad news of the demise of her marriage on her Instagram, releasing a lengthy statement urging fans to show “respect for our family’s privacy.”

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Reese, 47, began her joint statement with Jim, 52, by writing, “We have some personal news to share…

“We made the difficult decision to divorce with great care and consideration.”

The actress and her now-estranged husband continued, “We have shared so many wonderful years together and we move forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for all that we have created together.

“Our number one priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and very personal.”

The statement concluded, “We really appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”

It has been unsubscribed: “Reese and Jim,” and comments on the post have been disabled.

While the news came as a surprise to some, others mentioned potential private fights and noted issues that arose during their more than decade-long marriage.

ARREST NIGHTMARE

Some fans may recall that Jim, who is also an actor, was arrested along with Reese in April 2013 — just over two years into their marriage.

According to an arrest report from The Guardian, a Georgia state police officer noticed that Jim’s car was not staying in the lane it was traveling in early in the morning of the incident.

He made the decision to initiate a traffic stop and reported that Jim’s eyelids drooped and his eyes were watery and bloodshot.

Also, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

Jim told the officer he drank something Reese claimed was consumed at a restaurant two hours before the stop.

The Guardian reported at the time that the Big Little Lies star was “deeply embarrassed” after she was charged with disorderly conduct over comments she made to police when her husband was arrested for driving under the influence.

In the middle of the traffic stop, Reese asked the state trooper at the Atlanta traffic stop scene, “Do you know my name?

“You’re about to find out who I am.”

She was also quoted as saying, “You’re about to be on the national news.”

According to the arrest report obtained by the outlet, Reese refused to stay in the car while her Hollywood agent husband performed the “walk-and-turn” field sobriety test.

The arresting officer wrote in his report: “Mrs. Witherspoon started throwing the window and saying she didn’t think I was a real cop. I told Mrs Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet.”

Later in the report, the official noted that she “stated that she was a ‘US citizen’ and that she could ‘stand on American soil.'”

She was released from prison shortly thereafter and was in New York a few days later for the premiere of her film Mud.

After the incident, she released a statement apologizing for her behavior.

She wrote: “I’ve clearly had one drink too many and I’m deeply embarrassed for what I said.

“It was definitely a scary situation and I was scared for my husband but that’s no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job.”

Reese added, “I have nothing but respect for the police and I am deeply sorry for my behavior.”

In the end, her husband was charged with drunk driving and failure to maintain lane.

MARRIAGE DETAILS

Reese and Jim married on March 26, 2011.

The Oscar winner was previously married to Ryan Phillippe.

This marriage lasted from 1999 to 2008.

She and her Big Sky actor share two children: Ava Phillippe and Deacon Phillippe.

Reese moved on with Jim a few years later after meeting him at a friend’s house.

She recalled their unconventional first encounter in a cover story interview with Elle in 2012.

She told the outlet at the time: “This really drunk guy hit on me, made such a fool of himself and yelled at me.

“He was like [slurring, scowling, pointing a finger in her face] ,You do not know me.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, I know. I do not know you!'”

This guy wasn’t Jim, however, but another night owl.

Jim, she told the magazine, stepped in to save her.

She told the magazine: “Jim came over and said, ‘Please excuse my friend. He just broke up with someone.’

“Jim was a really good friend who got him out of that situation. That’s just the way he is, a really good person.”

A year earlier, she told Elle UK (via PopSugar) that at first she didn’t think he would be her forever love.

“It’s an exciting feeling. [Somebody saying,] ‘You’re the one,'” she said at the time. “And it’s a surprise. You know, I’m surprised when people who aren’t related to me see my films. And you’re surprised someone wants to be with you because, boy, I’ve got a lot of quirks and wrinkles.”

Reese and Jim married in California almost a year after dating in 2010.

The couple share one child: a son named Tennessee James.

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