Robert Pattinson

Time was that the epic love affair between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson was the romance of our era. On screen at least (although there are plenty who would take issue with even that).

But now that the Twilight franchise has finally rolled on, Pattinson reportedly wants to remain 'friends' with Stewart following their supposed breakup.

According to the Irish Independent, the famously on again off again relationship between the two stars, who met on the set of the first Twilight movie, has come undone.

Last year fans of the pair were appalled when Stewart admitted to an affair with the married film director Rupert Sanders. After a serious attempt to patch things up, Pattinson has reportedly decided that friendship is the only solution.

'Rob really wanted it to work but he just felt like the trust was gone,' a source told Star magazine in the UK. 'Neither of them seemed really happy and he just thought it was easier to end it for good. He was honest with her and said they had been through so much he hoped they could remain amicable.'

The pair seemed to rekindle their rocky relationship in suspiciously perfect time to promote the final Twilight blowout, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, at the end of last year. But since then? Whispers resumed when Robert attended the Golden Globe Awards on his own earlier this month.

Despite meeting up with his former flame at an after-party, the couple reportedly looked strained. Sources say the  22-year-old actress is finding the whole situation difficult to deal with.

'It’s come as a massive blow as they had been making big plans to start afresh this year,' one source told Star.

'Rob is really keen to keep everything civil and work on being friends. It would be too much to be completely without her because she is such a massive part of his life.'