Kanye's Engagement Breakup

Kanye West's fiancee confirms engagement is off...

Alexis Phifer, Kanye West's fiance of 18 months, has confirmed that the couple's engagement is off.

"It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends," Phifer reportedly told People.com. "I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He's one of the most talented people I've ever met."

Rumours of a split had been rife since Alexis was spotted on the red carpet at an Evenings in Vogue without her engagement ring.

"They'd been having problems," a friend of West's told the site. "Kanye is really focused on his show; he's putting everything into the show right now. Alexis is a nice girl, but Kanye has been going through a rough time. They hit a rough patch and for now they've split."

Alexis and Kanye have been dating on-and-off since 2002.

Watch MTV News on the hour every hour on MTV - Sky Channel 126 and Virgin Channel 311