Taiwanese rocker Shin and his girlfriend of 17 years, Wei Wei, have broken up. A mutual friend of the couple confirmed the news with Apple Daily, saying the relationship ended more than eight months ago.

Shin, 49, denied there was a third party involved, adding that after being together for so long, “it’s better having a relationship like a family than being a couple.”

According to the source, they considered reconciling, but are now comfortable with how their relationship is going now. “Although we have broken up, we are relatives and friends for life. Even if we get married to other people, it will not affect our relationship, the couple said.

They seem to be walking the talk.

The pair remain close and have been seen at gatherings with friends. In fact, they attended a party actress Ady An threw for her two-month-old daughter on Monday (Dec 21) and have reportedly made plans to go to Taitung to catch A-Mei’s New Year's Eve performance.

News of the split shocked everyone as the couple's relationship appeared to be very stable and marriage was said to be on the cards.

In 2013, Shin, who has a 20-year-old daughter with ex-girlfriend Zhang Yu Huang, proposed to Wei Wei and even revealed plans to tie the knot in Europe as they had already taken their wedding pics when vacationing there. However, their nuptials just kept getting pushed back.

In an interview with Apple Daily in 2017, Shin said: I wanted to wait a little longer to get married, but my work load gets heavier with each year. As a result, it’s dragged on until now, but we don't really mind.”

There have also been rumours that the couple had secretly tied the knot and started a family, but Wei Wei denied this.

This is not the first time the couple have broken up. They split briefly in 2009 and went through a rough patch in 2018 after Shin reportedly found flirty messages Wei Wei had exchanged with another guy. However, those allegations were denied by Shin and Wei Wei.

Photos: Apple Daily, Shin/Weibo