Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minnillo Breaks Up

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo have called it quits, reps for each confirm to PEOPLE."They have amicably split but remain good friends who still greatly care for one another," Minnillo's rep tells PEOPLE of the couple, who began dating in 2006.The split comes after a rash of breakup rumors and reports, which were shot down. Earlier this month Minnillo told PEOPLE that she and Lachey were "very much still on."A source says Minnillo, 28, and Lachey, 35, are "still friends. It was the right thing for both of them to do."

A source close to the couple tells Us: "It was an amicable break-up. They walk away from it still friends."Adds another source, "They still care about each other very much. This is what's best for both of them."The couple hooked up in 2006 -- the year after Lachey split from wife Jessica Simpson.In 2007, Minnillo told Us she wanted to have kids with Lachey: "I always say I want three boys and a girl, but at the end of the day, I just want healthy kids."