End of Honeymoon for Thorne-Smith

ByABC News
January 5, 2001, 7:20 PM

January 4 -- In a turnabout worthy of the prime-time dramas she's known for, former Ally McBeal and Melrose Place regular Courtney Thorne-Smith is separating from her new husband, her publicist said today.

Thorne-Smith married genetic scientist Andrew Conrad only seven months ago, in what the actress described as an impulsive ceremony, while the two were on vacation in Hawaii. She and Conrad were already engaged and simply decided to get married on the spot, with such last-minute arrangements as humming guests instead of musicians performing the wedding march.

Today, the 32-year-old actress issued a brief statement that read, "Andy and I have mutually decided to separate. There are no third parties involved. We remain good friends and will share custody of our dog." The statement did not reveal what breed of dog it is that the couple will be sharing.

Ironically, Thorne-Smith, in all her wedding splendor, was just featured on the cover of InStyle magazine's spring 2001 wedding issue.

Thorne-Smith gave up her regular status on Ally McBeal in May after three seasons. She cited the constant pressure to remain thin for the Fox series, whose star, Calista Flockhart is notoriously underweight.

Reuters contributed to this story.