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Los Angeles - British singer Seal insists he and German supermodel wife Heidi Klum still love each other despite announcing their separation, vowing to remain "civil" for the sake of their children.
In a US television interview to be aired later this week, he said the situation was "difficult" but made easier because of their continued feelings for each other.
"We have a tremendous amount of love and respect for each other (...) I don't think you all of a sudden stop loving each other," he told talk show host Tavis Smiley, who questioned him about the split after discussing his new album.
"What one has to do in this situation is to remain civil and to retain one's dignity and to be professional and to understand that we are not the only people on this planet, that it is just, unfortunately, a chapter of life."
Media reports said at the weekend that Klum would file divorce papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court in the coming days due to "irreconcilable differences".
Top priority
The couple married in 2005 and have three children together. Seal, best known for hits such as Kiss from a Rose and Crazy, also adopted Klum's daughter from a previous relationship with ex Formula One boss Flavio Briatore.
They confirmed their split in a statement issued earlier via Klum's German publicist, saying: "While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate."
Blonde runway star and reality television mogul Klum added: "We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart.
"This is an amicable process and protecting the wellbeing of our children remains our top priority, especially during this time of transition."
Seal echoed that on Smiley's show, which is due to air on Friday.
'Not those kind of people'
Asked about a risk that their separation could turn nasty, he said: "We're just not those kind of people, we never really have been.
"Of course it's a difficult situation that we have to handle right now, and it's never easy, but you know, in terms of our love and respect for each other, that hasn't changed at all.
"Yes these are difficult times but there is a lot to be positive about (...) and I think that when two people feel that way about each other it is easier to make that transition."
Klum, 38, and Seal, 48, were famous for renewing their vows every year on their wedding anniversary.
But the model raised eyebrows when she attended this month's Golden Globes awards ceremony in Los Angeles without her husband.
