Pamela Anderson Was Never Legally Married to 12-Day Husband Jon Peters: Source

On Feb. 1, Pamela Anderson announced she had split from her new husband, movie mogul Jon Peters

Pamela Anderson‘s 12-day marriage to movie mogul Jon Peters was never made legal, a source tells PEOPLE.

Anderson, 52, announced on Feb. 1 that she and Peters had split less than two weeks after their secret wedding. However, a source confirms to PEOPLE that the two had not yet filed the legal paperwork for a marriage certificate after their Jan. 20 nuptials.

“Legal paperwork for the marriage was never filed,” the source says.

A source previously told PEOPLE that Anderson decided to call off the marriage because she “just needed to take a step back.”

“Although they have known each other for more than 30 years, they had never lived together,” the source said. “Living with someone, you truly get to know them. Pam’s a romantic, but she is also very independent … This all moved a bit fast, so they both agreed to put it off.”

And on Friday, Anderson exclusively told PEOPLE that the pair “remain friends.”

Anderson announced the split to The Hollywood Reporter 12 days after she and Peters tied the knot.

“I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union,” the actress and activist said. “We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another. Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalization of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process. Thank you for respecting our privacy.”

Karolina Turek

The two first met in the mid-’80s while at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy mansion and began dating after their encounter, before reconnecting years later.

“Pamela has never seen her full potential as an artist. She has yet to shine in a real way. There is much more to her than meets the eye, or I wouldn’t love her so much,” Peters, 74, told THR after their wedding last month. “There are beautiful girls everywhere. I could have my pick, but — for 35 years — I’ve only wanted Pamela.”

“She makes me wild — in a good way. She inspires me. I protect her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated,” he continued.

Anderson was previously married to Tommy Lee — with whom she shares sons Brandon, 23, and Dylan, 22 — from 1995 to 1998. The actress later married and divorced Kid Rock in 2006, and also married and divorced producer Rick Solomon twice — in 2007 and 2013.

Peters, who produced both Barbra Streisand’s A Star Is Born in 1976 and the remake in 2018 with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, was previously married to actress Lesley Ann Warren and producer Christine Forsyth-Peters.