In relationship news to begin 2012, Team PokerStarspro Vanessa Rousso and 2006 Player of the Year Chad Brown (pictured), have announced their separation after slightly more than two years of marriage.

In mutual messages on Twitter and Facebook, Rousso and Brown announced their decision to separate to their followers. “Despite great mutual fondness and respect, Chad and I have separated,” a Tweet on Rousso’s time line stated. “We will always be friends and I cherish the memories we have together. While we appreciate the support of friends and fans, Chad and I ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

There is no reason given for the separation and both are at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in the Bahamas for the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Both have been eliminated from the Main Event and, on her Twitter feed, Rousso (pictured) has been looking to get in on the side game action. She shared a Twitter conversation with poker pro Kevin ImaLuckSac MacPhee regarding the number of players in a $2,000 side tournament, but neither Brown nor she has posted any further information regarding their decision to part ways.

On Twitter and Facebook, friends and acquaintances have been able to pass along their thoughts regarding the separation, but they also are granting the couple’s request for privacy. A thread regarding the announcement began on TwoPlusTwo, but after approximately 100 posts, was closed.

The story of Rousso and Brown goes back at least as far as 2008, when the duo announced that they were engaged. Rousso served as the celebrity host for the 2009 Gulf Coast Poker Championship in Biloxi, Mississippi, which Brown won for one of the biggest scores of his career. Soon after that, the twosome eloped.

Although they would live what some considered a desirable existence – traveling the world to play poker – the cards of life dealt a near-fatal turn. In February 2011, Brown (pictured) was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Liposarcoma. The cancer causes tumors to grow in the deep soft tissue of the human body. In Brown’s case, the tumor was located in his abdomen and, after surgery, was found to be a ten-pound mass, which was removed.

Throughout the ordeal, Rousso and Brown stood by each other, even while Rousso was having an excellent season on the tournament poker circuit. In addition to taking down over $519,000 in 2011, Rousso learned as much as she could about Brown’s condition. The details of their travails were the focus of a September article on ESPN.com written by Gary Wise.

“It’s hard when your soul mate is sitting there battling cancer and (you) can do nothing,” Rousso admitted to Wise for the article. “He’s so strong. He took everything in stride. It was just my way of doing something. It was more important than any game I’ve ever played. It was literally life on the line. You’ve got to understand this stuff.”

Brown’s cancer is considered in remission at this point. He finished his radiation therapy in May and has had several scans since that time to see if the Liposarcoma has returned in his body. If the cancer doesn’t return within five years, a patient is normally deemed “cured,” but the slightest recurrence would have to be immediately acted upon.

We here at PocketFives wish the twosome well in their respective futures, either together or separately.