Emancipation, addiction and family abuse: Bijou Phillips' own story.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of sexual assault that may be distressing to some readers.

When Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women, all reports suggested he and his wife Bijou Phillips were a united front.

"She has had a very difficult time since the conviction," a source said last week about Phillips. 

"She loves Danny and has no plans to file for divorce. She will be by his side for it all."

Now it's been confirmed that Phillips has filed for divorce from her husband of almost 12 years.

According to the California court documents filed, which Page Six has seen, the actress filed to separate from Masterson on Monday this week. 

Phillips has cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split, and is seeking spousal support and requested that any financial support for Masterson be denied.

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A spokesperson for Phillips confirmed the news to TMZ, saying in a statement: "Ms Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter."

The spokesperson continued: "This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr Masterson was always present for Ms Phillips during her most difficult times of her life. Ms Phillips acknowledges that Mr Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter." 

The court documents also show that Phillips wants legal and physical custody of their nine-year-old daughter and is willing to allow visitation for Masterson.

On September 7, That '70s Show star Danny Masterson was sentenced for raping two women in his Hollywood home two decades ago.

The 47-year-old actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit and watched the women without visible reaction as they spoke.

"When you raped me, you stole from me," said one woman who Masterson was convicted of raping in 2003. "That's what rape is, a theft of the spirit. You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison."

By Masterson's side had been his wife - actor and singer Bijou Phillips. 

She was reportedly visibly upset while in court when her husband's conviction was handed down, and she has publicly stood by him, prior to the news of their divorce. 

Phillips is best known for acting in a bunch of movies and television shows in the early 2000s including Almost Famous, Havoc and Bully.

It was around this time that she met Masterson at a poker tournament in Las Vegas, the pair marrying in 2011 and having a daughter in 2014. Both Masterson and Phillips are also part of the Church of Scientology.

Now adjusting to raising their daughter on her own, Phillips has been open about the challenges she has faced throughout her life. 

Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson. Image: Getty.

Phillips was born in 1980 to The Mamas & The Papas lead musician John Phillips and his third wife Geneviève Waïte, a South African model. The parents, who were both dealing with drug addictions, were deemed unfit to take care of Phillips. As a result, she was placed in foster care in upstate New York.

Phillips later reflected via an Instagram post that her biological parents had worked hard to regain custody of her.

"They spent years and years fighting for custody, so I bounced around a lot. When I was a kid separated from my parents, I remember my mother coming and wanting to take me and just wanting to go with her so much and screaming and crying and gripping the door, I was dragged inside, it took two adults and the door closed," she said.

Although Phillips said her foster parents "were so great" and she's still "really close" with the foster family, Phillips decided she wanted to live on her own. By age 14 she had left school and emancipated herself.

Reflecting on that time to The Guardian, Phillips said: "If you were 14 years old and able to live on your own in an apartment in New York City, and you got invited to all these clubs, and you got a bank account and you had a car service you could call so that you could go wherever you wanted... what would happen?"

In her young teens as well, Phillips started her modelling career. She landed a Calvin Klein underwear advertisement, even though she was underage. 

Three years later, when she was 17, Phillips entered rehab for drug addiction. Phillips said she had her biological father's support during this time, and they were in contact. 

Then just before her 21st birthday, John Phillips died from heart failure following medical complications associated with long-term drug addiction. 

It was a fraught time for Phillips.

"I was so nuts and crazy. I just didn't have respect for humans. I didn't have respect because I'd never been shown respect by my parents. I'd always been treated like an object, not like a human," she explained in an interview in 2000.

Mackenzie Phillips and Chynna Phillips are also half-sisters of Phillips. All three sisters have gone on to have careers in acting and singing. 

In 2009, Mackenzie Phillips went public with allegations that her father abused her for over a decade, starting when she was 19. 

In her memoir High On Arrival, she said she was raped by John Phillips the night before her wedding, and that he had also introduced her to the drug heroin. 

When Mackenzie went on Oprah Winfrey's show to speak about her memoir and what happened, a statement was also read out from Bijou Phillips.

Phillips said she was 13 when Mackenzie first told her about the alleged abuse.

"Mackenzie's history with our father is hers, but also clouded with 30 years of drug abuse. ... I hope she can come to terms with this and find peace. The life I had with my father was very different. He was Mr. Mom, encouraging and loving. The man that raised me would never be capable of doing such things, and if he was, it is heartbreaking to me to think that my family would leave me alone with him," her statement read.

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A post shared by Mack Phillips (@mackphillips)

"I understand Mackenzie's need to come clean with a history she feels will help others, but it's devastating to have the world watch as we try and mend broken fences, especially when the man in question isn't here to defend himself."

As for how Phillips has responded to the now convictions against Masterson, she has pointed to the belief that he is innocent. 

At the time the charges were initially laid, Masterson's attorney issued a statement to PEOPLE that said Phillips and Masterson would defend. 

"Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed," the statement read.

"They and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false."

Following the 30-year sentencing, Los Angeles' district attorney said that "justice was finally served".

"My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them [the victim-survivors] peace and that their bravery will be an example to others. One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women."

This article was originally published on September 8, and has since been updated with new information.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Feature Image: Getty.