Rachel Stevens has broken her silence after surprising fans by announcing her split from husband of 12 years, Alex Bourne.MORE: 20 failed celebrity engagementsTaking to her Instagram Stories on Sunday, the 44-year-old S Club 7 singer thanked her fans for their messages of support.WATCH: Rachel Stevens undergoes glamorous transformationShe remarked: "I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your messages of love and support. It means so much [heart emoji]."READ: Rachel Stevens comforted by fans as she breaks silence following Dancing on Ice exitSEE: mRachel Stevens' Princess dress has to be seen to be believedThe day before, Rachel broke the sad news on social media, writing: "I just wanted to share with you all that after time and consideration the difficult decision has been made for Alex and I to separate."While we are no longer partners in marriage, we will remain partners in parenthood to our beautiful girls and continue with love and respect for each other." She concluded: "I feel so incredibly grateful for the life we built together and will now continue to be focused on moving forward united as a family." Rachel and Alex have split after 12 years of marriageNews of the split comes just a month before they were due to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary with one another.