It’s been a decade of learning and growing for Drew Barrymore, both in her personal and professional life!
In a revealing new cover story with People out on Tuesday, the actress opened up about her successful daytime talk show and the challenges she’s had to overcome in her love life to live her best life now. And it all centers around her heartbreaking 2016 divorce from Will Kopelman, with whom she shares daughters Frankie and Olive, who were just 2 and 3 respectively at the time of the split. Drew shared:
“There was no scandal. Nothing went wrong, which is cleaner, but makes it harder and more confusing because there isn’t The Thing to point to. We tried so hard to make it work. said to me, ‘Divorce is the death of a dream.’ That’s exactly what it feels like, something so final you can’t get it back.”
Oof. So, so tough.
Having had a challenging family life growing up, she knew she wanted something different for her kids — which made the split even more emotional. She reflected:
“I know what that feels like. If I haven’t learned from that, then what was it all for?”
Discussing the terms she laid down, she added:
‘’This is a family, so nobody’s going anywhere.’ I was determined to make it work because we all loved each other so much.”
Despite being committed to keeping her family intact, even going so far as to move from California to New York to be closer to her ex’s family, the change wasn’t easy. In fact, the E.T. alum revealed the years (!!!) that followed were “cripplingly difficult” — both emotionally and because of the physical change (which now meant winter days). She expressed:
“It just took me down. There are times where you can look at someone you think is a strong person and see them so broken and go, ‘How the f**k did they get there?’ And I was that person. I broke.”
The 47-year-old then turned to alcohol to block out her strong feelings, she continued:
“It was just trying to numb the pain and feel good—and alcohol totally did that for me.”
But after struggling with and eventually beating addiction in her youth, the Charlie’s Angels star saw the warning signs coming. She noted:
“The drinking thing for me was a constant, like, ‘You cannot change. You are weak and incapable of doing what’s best for you. You keep thinking you will master this thing, and it’s getting the better of you.’”
It was all compounded by the fact the life she dreamed of giving her kids hadn’t panned out as desired, the film producer shared:
“After the life I planned for my kids didn’t work out — I almost think that was harder than the stuff as a kid. It felt a lot more real because it wasn’t just me. It was about these kids that I cared so much about. And then I probably cared so much that I was only giving to them and not taking care of myself. It was a messy, painful, excruciating walk through the fire and come back to life kind of trajectory.”
She quit drinking and spent lots of time in therapy to get herself into a better headspace, thanks to her kids:
“It was my kids that made me feel like it’s game time.”
Developing her talk show was also a great motivator:
“ gave me something to focus on and pour myself into. It gave us something to believe in.”
Thankfully, the hard work has paid off! Not only is she happier than ever, but Drew also has a wonderful relationship with her ex-husband AND his new wife, Alexandra Michler, a Vogue fashion director whom he wed in August 2021. Drew told the mag:
“Will has his side of the street so beautifully buttoned up with our gorgeous stepmother. We’ve got an awesome family dynamic that proves that life goes on. Allie is my favorite person. I love her. I love us all being together. These kids have an example of one of the parents moving on and rebuilding another life for themselves. I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to do that now? Perfect.’”
It may not be exactly how she envisioned her future, but it’s a close second:
“The cool thing is all these years later, we do have the dream. It’s just different than the one I swore would be the case.”
These days, she’s mainly focused on her work and being the best parent she can be. And, no, her busy schedule doesn’t leave much time for dating! The momma bear explained:
“I just want to be home with the kids. I’ve never had balance. I’m like a wrecking ball of a pendulum. Agony, ecstasy. Heavier, thinner. Happier, totally depressed. Working my ass off, completely lost and broken, not knowing what I’m doing. Balance is an elusive bitch that haunts me. I would love to find that in my 50s.”
There’s always room to grow! Just like there’s always room for exploring potential romances from time to time, she added:
“I’m such a mom and I’m so under the workload, and I love being with my friends and I love being alone, where does dating fit in? Every once in a while, I’ll go on a date because it’s a very human, natural thing to do.”
But it hasn’t all been worth her time or energy, the Golden Globe winner admitted:
“I’ve gone on dates where I’m like, ‘Oh my God, why did I say yes to dinner? Because we haven’t ordered yet, and I don’t want to be here.’”
Despite all the pain and hardship she’s faced throughout her life, but especially after her divorce, she’s doing better than ever:
“This has been the best decade of my life, without question. It wasn’t just the most awesome, it was the one where I feel like I’ve slayed more dragons than I ever have in my whole life.”
Amazing!!
Just check out her 2022 recap video on Instagram as proof she’s having the BEST time lately!
A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore)
For anyone looking to live their life to the fullest just like Drew, she left readers with some parting words, saying:
“As a kid and even in my 20s and 30s, happiness seemed like this very giddy, excited optimism. It is a choice. You have to work for that. It is hard to get to some days. And so when you’ve harnessed it, that feels like such a better victory. You hold on tight.”
It’s sad knowing how much she’s struggled since splitting from Will, but it’s incredible to hear it was all worth it in the end! She truly couldn’t be shining brighter! Thoughts? Sound OFF (below)!
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