Aussie star denies role in Hollywood marriage breakdown

Australian actress Abbie Cornish has denied that she played a part in breaking up Hollywood golden couple Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe's marriage.

The rising star has been accused of having an affair with the actor while they were in Texas filming Stop Loss.

Witherspoon was reported to have discovered messages from Cornish on her husband's BlackBerry, causing her to formally end their marriage.

But Cornish, who has made a name for herself in her native Australia starring in films such as Candy and Summersault, says that she only had a professional relationship with the heartthrob.

"It's not true," her publicist told America's Us Weekly magazine.
"They are co-stars and that is it."

Previous reports had suggested that Cornish and Phillippe flaunted their relationship during production.

"I was pretty shocked that he would blatantly cheat on Reese in public," one local, Lauren Scott, told the magazine.

The high profile couple, who have two young children together, have dodged divorce rumours for most of their seven-year marriage.

The couple met before Oscar winner Witherspoon's career had skyrocketed, making her one of the most bankable female stars in the industry.