A U.S. man who became internationally famous for bearing three children after switching from his previous female identity says he and his wife have separated. 

Thomas Beatie appeared on the syndicated television show "The Doctors," where he announced both that he has completed gender reassignment surgery, presumably making him incapable of child bearing, and has split from the woman he has been married to for nine years, People magazine reported.

"Nancy hasn't seen the new me yet," Beatie said. "Like all marriages, we have our ups and downs, and we're going through a rough patch right now. At the moment, we're separated."

Beatie, 38, became pregnant in 2007. His picture, showing someone who looked like a man, complete with beard, visibly pregnant, was shown across the globe. He had a total of three children.

He is believed to have been the first legal man to become a mother.

Nancy, 49, a mother of two children from a previous relationship, had had a hysterectomy.

The couple had been living in Bend, Ore., before the breakup, the New York Daily News said. (UPI)