Shock split: Double Olympic gold medalist Dame Valerie Adams announces marriage break-up

Double Olympic gold medalist Dame Valerie Adams has announced her marriage separation from husband, Gabriel Price. Photo / Facebook

Dame Valerie Adams has announced her separation from husband Gabriel Price.

The double Olympic champion took to Facebook to say: “I have something to share and I want you to learn of this from me personally.

“Gabriel and I have separated. While we are no longer together, we both remain entirely committed to our beautiful children,” she wrote.

The pair share two children, five-year-old Kimoana and three-year-old Kepaleli.

“As with any breakup it can be emotional and difficult so I do ask that you please respect the privacy of my family during this time,” said Adams.

Adams and Price, who have been family friends since childhood through their parents and church, were married in a small Mormon ceremony at Temple View in Hamilton in 2016.

Dame Valerie Adams poses with Gabriel Price after the investiture ceremony at Government House in Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Two-time Olympic champion Dame Valerie Adams called time on her shot put career in March last year at the age of 37.

Adams, who claimed back-to-back gold medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, also won silver at the 2016 Rio Games and bronze in Tokyo last year, where she made history by becoming the first woman to win medals at four Olympics in a single field event.

Adams said she was humbled to represent New Zealand on the world stage.

“Representing Aotearoa for the last 22 years has given me so much joy. As my life’s work I’m humbled to show that little old New Zealand has what it takes to be the best in the world,” she said.

Aside from her Olympic success, she is also a four-time world champion, four-time indoor world champion and three-time Commonwealth Games champion.

She was named the supreme award winner at the Halberg Awards for three consecutive years from 2007 and won the Sportswoman of the Year accolade seven times.

At her fifth Olympics in Tokyo last year, Adams carried the flag for New Zealand at the closing ceremony, a moment she said meant a lot to her and her family.

Dame Valerie Adams with her children Kepaleli and Kimoana after announcing her retirement from shot put. Photo / Brett Phibbs

“One day when my children Kimoana and Kepaleli understand what their mum does I hope they will be just as proud of this significant moment too,” Adams said at the time.

Following her bronze in Tokyo, Adams said she hoped to inspire other mums and female athletes.

“I hope to continue to inspire female athletes all around the world that if you want to have a kid and you want to come back and be at the top of the world, you can, you can absolutely do that and today’s a testament to that.”

Adams was named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit at the 2017 New Year’s Honours.