Katie Couric, Brooks Perlin Break Up; Age, Work are Reasons Say Rep

Longtime news anchor and correspondent Katie Couric has ended a five-year relationship with Brooks Perlin, according to reports.

The main reason behind the breakup, which Couric initiated, according to a friend of Couric, was age and conflicting jobs and schedules.

Brook's a nice guy, but it was inevitable because they had different priorities and perspectives, the friend said to Us Weekly, and their age difference made it a challenge, too.

Couric, most notable as CBS Evening News anchor from 2006 to 2011, used to be married to Jay Monahan, who passed away from colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42. Couric met Perlin, a 37-year-old CFO at Eco Supply Center, a green building-materials distributor, in 2006 at a cancer research fundraising event at the Louis Licari Hair Salon.

Katie is someone who is incredibly versatile and accessible and in high demand and he just couldn't keep up, the Couric friend added. He had a little more trouble in the relationship. So she's available and back on the market.

The friend told The New York Post that the two still remain amicable.

Brooks is a great person and a real gentleman, said Couric's friend. He and Katie enjoyed their time together. But after five years, they have decided it was time to go their separate ways. Brooks is in the process of moving out of her home.

Couric, 54, has two daughters with Monahan: Ellie, a 20-year-old college junior and Carrie, a 15-year-old high school sophomore.

Look for Couric to be channeling heartbreak into positive energy for her new talk show, which will premiere in September 2012.