Peter Facinelli has filed for divorce from Jennie Garth.

The couple announced earlier this month they had split after 11 years of marriage but the Twilight Saga actor has now started official proceedings to dissolve their union. According to the documents, which have been filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by gossip website TMZ, Peter has cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. He is also seeking joint physical and legal custody of the couple's daughters Luca, 14, Lola, nine, and five-year-old Fiona. The documents list the separation date as January 1 2012.

Jennie simultaneously filed her response to the divorce petition, also asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children. She also requested to have her name legally changed from Jennifer Facinelli back to Jennifer Garth.

Peter and Jennie - who first met on the set of TV movie An Unfinished Affair in 1996 and married five years later - announced the end of their marriage in a statement earlier this month.