ATLANTA, Ga. -- Actress Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner are separating, and sources close to the couple say the split was prompted in part by Fonda's embrace of born-again Christianity.

Fonda, 62, and Turner, 61, announced their separation in early January. "While we continue to be committed to the long-term success of our marriage, we find ourselves at a juncture where we must each take some personal time for ourselves," they said in a statement January 4. "Therefore, we have mutually decided to spend some time apart."

The two live in an apartment at CNN Center in Atlanta but have other residences as well. They celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary December 21. The marriage is the third for each of them. Fonda is a two-time Oscar-winning actress, and Turner founded CNN, is vice-chairman of Time Warner, and owns professional sports teams in Atlanta.

According to a report by journalist Joseph Farah for the Internet news source WorldNetDaily.com, friends say Fonda's spiritual conversion began two years ago when her chauffeur began talking with her about his personal faith in Jesus Christ. Fonda was reportedly troubled by those conversations initially, but later began to welcome them and attend church with her chauffeur.

"Her faith is very real, very deep," one insider told WorldNetDaily. "Of course, with any celebrity conversion, the pressures can be enormous, But she is serious about her faith and regularly attends Bible study and church."

It would be a surprising change for Fonda, a liberal political activist who has been an outspoken supporter of abortion on demand and who openly supported Communist North Vietnam in the 1970s. Turner has been openly hostile to Christianity, calling it a "religion for losers" and publicly mocking Christian values and figures as recently as last year.

But Fonda has made at least one public statement that supports the idea of a spiritual awakening on her part. In June of 1998 she appeared at the National Press Club, and was asked why conservative Christians object to the promotion of sex education. She said, "I want to say this just based on the letters I get, OK? When I talk about the Christian Coalition, I'm not talking about all the members of the Christian Coalition. I am a Christian. I am talking about the leadership that sets the agenda, creates the message and builds these various sophisticated campaigns."

Sources close to Fonda told WorldNetDaily that her faith has since matured in a way that influences her entire worldview. Recently, for example, she turned down an invitation to mediate at an environmental conference, and reportedly told those involved that they should instead "pray to Jesus Christ."

The Rev. Gerald Durley, who knows Fonda, confirmed that the actress is seeking a deeper spiritual life, but wouldn't say if that contributed to her separation from Turner. Durley, pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church and former president of Concerned Black Clergy, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Fonda has "found a certain sense of peace among people who've found peace with Christianity." He added, "I think as she approached her 60th birthday, she began to search for more meaning. I am extremely impressed with the genuineness and sincerity in her search for spirituality and wholeness."