Drew Barrymore got emotional reflecting on her divorce from her third husband, actor Will Kopelman, revealing that she still hasn’t quite recovered from their 2016 split.
The actor and talk show host told Sunday Today that it was important for the two daughters she shares with her ex to have something she didn’t as a child: an “amazing family.”
“I really did not take divorce well. I took it really hard,” the 50 First Dates actor explained. “And I know from not growing up with any family whatsoever that that was the last thing I wanted to do for my daughters.”
She added: “I think that’s why I took [the divorce] so hard. [I] was, like, oh, the ultimate promise I wanted to make with you and for you was to have this amazing family. And I found them. And there’s something not working ― that isn’t livable. How tragic is that?”
“Because when we were getting divorced, it felt like everything was just wrong,” Drew continued. “I think it applies to everyone who thinks that something will be forever and it’s not. It’s so hard.”
But now, after nearly five years, the Charlie’s Angels alum said she can “see everything we did right.” Though it doesn’t mean she’s ready to move on.
“I don’t think I’ve recovered from that,” Drew said as her voice broke. “I don’t know how to open that up again.
“It’s like something closed, and it stayed closed. I think I’m equally as scared to find love again as I would be as if it never happened.”
Drew previously was wed to Jeremy Thomas from 1994 to 1995, and to comedian Tom Green from 2001 to 2002.
On Drew’s new talk show, both Charlize Theron and Sharon Stone have spoken about their reluctance to pursue new relationships.
“I’ve had it with dating,” the Basic Instinct star told Drew, who agreed with her sentiments. “Because I just find people to be insincere and not worth my time. And I enjoy my alone time and time with my kids and my friends more.”
“I just feel like I don’t need another kid,” she added, as Drew laughed. “I don’t want any insincerity and baloney and game playing.”
Charlize later told Barrymore she hadn’t dated anyone for five years. With her two adopted daughters, she added: “I don’t long for that much.”