Pippa (R) and James (L) Middleton, the sister and brother of Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,
Pippa (R) and James (L) Middleton, the sister and brother of Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, watch the women's singles tennis match between Angelique Kerber of Germany and Heather Watson of Britain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in centre court, London June 26, 2014. Reuters/Max Rossi

James Middleton, Kate Middleton’s brother, finally breaks his silence amid rumours he and girlfriend Donna Air have split. The 28-year old denied that he had ended his two-and-a-half relationship with Air, who is eight years his senior.

James squashed split rumours and told Hello Magazine that he and Donna “are still very much a couple and have not parted ways." The couple quoted Mark Twain as they told the publication in a joint statement that their “relationship is not over.”

“Mark Twain once complained that reports of his death were exaggerated. A few days ago we were equally amazed to read the obituaries of our relationship in the national press. All recent stories are untrue and without merit,” the couple said.

James and Donna’s statements came after reports claimed James had broken the relationship because of their age difference. A source told E! News that the “age gap did put a pressure” on their relationship. James has reportedly been distant from Air although she had been trying to make their relationship work for a long time.

The source likewise claimed the couple never saw eye-to-eye when it comes to settling down. Donna, a British model and TV host, already has a 12-year old daughter from her previous partner Damian Aspinall. However, James reportedly thought that she still wants to start a family with him and he’s not ready.

“Donna is devastated, she's putting on a brave face, but this is a massive blow,” the source had said about the split.

Another source claimed one other factor in the split is Donna’s relationship with James’ family especially with his sister Pippa and his mother Carole. Although they are friendly towards her, the source claimed Donna doesn’t really feel like she is a part of their family.

“She and James had very, very different upbringings. There's no one else involved at this stage, but James is hot property, so no doubt there will queues of eligible women throwing themselves at him!" the source told E! News.

James and Donna were reportedly last seen attending a public event together in July, during the 2015 Wimbledon tennis championships in London.

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