February 27, 2009: His new disappearing act

Illusionist Criss Angel splits from former "Girl Next Door" Holly Madison.

by Jeffrey Cottrill

Looks like true love was an illusion even Criss Angel couldn't keep going for long.

Model Holly Madison, best known for her work on the reality-TV series Girls Next Door and her past relationship with Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner, has called it quits with the renowned magician. The couple began cohabiting in December at Angel's Las Vegas home, but a source close to Madison, 29, has told the media that she has moved back in with her family.

"Criss and Holly are no longer a couple," Angel's publicist, Steve Flynn, told People on February 25. "They remain very close friends and wish each other the very best."

Madison announced her breakup from Hefner on TMZ.com in October, and she and Angel began seeing each other shortly afterward. Last month they reportedly took a vacation with Paula Abdul in Cabo San Lucas, and as recently as Valentine's Day, they were seen kissing in Sin City. They had even met each other's parents, according to E! Online.

More information on splitting and remaining friends: How to Divorce as Friends Peaceful Divorce The Good Divorce Say Goodbye with Love Learning to Live Apart

A source close to Madison and Angel told E! News that the breakup had been a mutual decision. "She was very much in love with him," the source said, "and they're still very close friends. It was a conflict of schedules. She felt she couldn't devote 100% of her time in Vegas and his career at the expense of her career and her goals... It was a tough decision for her to make and come back to L.A. and pursue her career. She still has very intense feelings for him."

As of February 26, however, Madison's MySpace page still featured a photo of her and Angel kissing, with him as her top friend and her mood set to "smitten".

Us magazine had quoted a source during their relationship who said: "All she's doing is following Criss Angel around to all of his magic shows, with no legitimate job to speak of. She's still heartbroken and regretful about how things went down with Hef. Then she ran into the arms of Criss Angel, but then it's like, 'This is not everything I thought it would be.'"

Holly Madison moved into the Playboy Mansion and became one of Hugh Hefner's seven "official" girlfriends in 2001. She got a promotion to being his "#1 Girl" in February 2002. She has appeared in Playboy several times, and her other TV credits include The Surreal Life, The Bernie Mac Show and Robot Chicken.

Criss Angel, 41, has hosted the TV series Criss Angel Mindfreak on A&E since July 2005. He also stars in a live show, Criss Angel Believe, a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil that runs at Las Vegas' Luxor hotel five nights per week.

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