Jodie Turner-Smith Called Love 'an Intention' the Day She Considered Herself Separated from Joshua Jackson

Jodie Turner-Smith seemingly considered her marriage to Joshua Jackson over the day she gushed about feeling love from friends and family on her 37th birthday. 

In a divorce petition obtained by PEOPLE, the Sex Education star listed Sept. 13 as her date of separation — the same day she defined love as “an intention” and “showing up” in a post shared on Instagram. 

Turner-Smith, 37, captioned a series of photos from her birthday celebration in New York City: “as i embark on another new year, i can’t help but meditate on love and it’s many manifestations…. love is not some lofty unattainable thing. love is a gesture, a look, an intention.”

“love is community. love is showing up,” Turner-Smith added. Though the pictures included snaps with her friends and family, at time of publication, Jackson was noticeably missing from the carousel. 

“thank you to all of you who showed up for me this week in new york— in spirit and in the flesh. i don’t take any of this for granted, and most of all, i don’t take any of you for granted,” she concluded. 

After more than three years of marriage, the Queen & Slim actress cited “irreconcilable differences” as the legal grounds for their divorce. Turner-Smith requested the court to grant the former couple joint custody of their daughter, whom they welcomed in April 2020.  

She also asked that neither parties receive spousal support and Jackson pay her attorney fees. As the “exact nature and extent” of the duo’s separate and community properties are unknown to the actress at this time, she requested the court allow her to “amend” her filing as those details become determined. 

During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers back in 2021, Turner-Smith revealed the couple met for the first time at Usher's 40th birthday party in 2018 after being a fan of Jackson’s from his Dawson’s Creek days.

"When I first met my husband, we had a one-night stand," the actress said, joking. "We're in a two, three-year one-night stand now."

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In August 2019, Jackson and Turner-Smith sparked rumors of an imminent wedding when they appeared to pick up a marriage license in Beverly Hills, California. PEOPLE confirmed in December 2019 that the pair had tied the knot.

"I think it's really beautiful to be with someone who is so supportive and so loving," she told PEOPLE of how lucky the couple were to have found each other in April 2021. "We're so similar in so many ways. We're like mirrors for each other. And I just really love that human being."