Harrison Ford and wife of 17 years living apart

LOS ANGELES â€“ Actor Harrison Ford and his wife of 17 years, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, are living apart.<br><br>The couple said in a statement that they hoped to patch up a rocky spot in their marriage.<br><br>"We

Wednesday, November 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES â€“ Actor Harrison Ford and his wife of 17 years, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, are living apart.

The couple said in a statement that they hoped to patch up a rocky spot in their marriage.

"We have been living apart for the past month. We sincerely hope that we can work out our differences," read the statement released by Ford's agent Patricia McQueeney.

Ford attorney Jay Lavely didn't immediately return a telephone message.

Ford, 58, and "The Practice" star Lara Flynn Boyle, 30, have been linked romantically by the National Enquirer, which photographed the couple drinking champagne at a Manhattan club.

"It had nothing to do with that. They separated before that," McQueeney said Tuesday.

The couple requested privacy.

"We would appreciate it if the media and the public would respect this as a very painful time for both of us and consider this a private matter henceforth," read the statement from Ford and Mathison.