Madison Cawthorn says he and his wife are getting divorced after being married 8 months

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) announced on Wednesday that he and his wife will be getting divorced after having been married for the past eight months.

In a statement released by Cawthorn's office, the freshman congressman explained why he and his wife decided to separate.

"When my wife Cristina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress, I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run," he began. "Overnight our lives changed. That change has been both hectic and difficult, it's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for."

Cawthorn added that while the couple "committed to make things work," in the end they "realized that balance was not attainable, and that we had irreconcilable differences between us."

Cristina Bayardelle Cawthorn tells local news station Fox 46 that she and Cawthorn "had an incredible journey together" but added that "the lifestyle shift into public life has been strenuous, and many aspects of the transition have been unexpected."

Earlier this week, Cawthorn told a group of young conservatives that they should drop out of college and get married young.