The Olsen twins are to go their separate ways, and live apart for the first time.

Mary-Kate is to move out of the twins' New York apartment in search of independence.

A source told Teen Hollywood, "Mary-Kate and Ashley want to do the independent thing and live on their own. They're twins, and I think they just want to find their own identities. They don't want to be identified as the same person."

Michael Pagnotta, the twins' representative, denied claims that there is a rift between the pair.

He said, "They do a lot of things together and a lot of things individually. They're good friends; all this rift stuff is nonsense."