Reese Witherspoon is opening about the aftermath of her divorce from Ryan Phillippe.
The 49-year-old actress was married to the 51-year-old for nine years, and they have two children together – Ava, 26, and Deacon, 21.
In a new interview, Reese revealed regret over staying in LA after the divorce because of the paparazzi craze and it’s impact on her kids at the time.
Keep reading to find out more…
“They would be everywhere,” she told The New York Times. “All over the schools and all over the cars. I remember at church once in L.A., a guy jumping on the hood of the car and on each side, three people pushing against the window banging on the door when my kids were little after I got a divorce and chasing us, like it was a police chase, down the freeways. It was terrifying.”
Reese expressed that she wishes she had moved out of Los Angeles during that time.
“It was really hard on my kids. Anxiety-producing,” The Morning Show star said. “I really regret living in L.A. during that time. I know it feels like they’re just taking pictures, but it would be like 25 people on the side of the soccer field photographing me and Ryan to see if we got along or we didn’t get along. And there’s a little boy and a little mami there.”
She also opened up about how the fame and paparazzi affected Ava and Deacon.
“My kids had really bad anxiety. And it was all external,” Reese shared. “You can only shield them from so much, but when [paparazzi] can go to the playgrounds and are on the schoolyard, it feels like the world is chaos and there are no rules. They would yell things at the kids about their dad or me that were wildly inappropriate.”
“I’m not trying to garner sympathy. It was my life. I just didn’t know that was what would come with wanting to be an actor,” she adds.
Recently, Reese, who is also mom to 12-year-old son Tennessee Toth with ex Jim Toth, opened up about how she balances her Hollywood career with being a mother to three.
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