Drew Barrymore has opened up about the “confusing” part of her 2016 divorce from arts consultant Will Kopelman, telling People magazine “there was no scandal” leading up to their split.
“Nothing went wrong, which is cleaner, but it makes it more difficult and confusing because there’s no The Thing to go to,” the actor said in the article, published Tuesday. “We worked so hard to make it work. [A friend] he told me, “Divorce is the death of a dream.” It’s exactly what it feels like, something so definitive that you can’t take it back.”
Barrymore said the years after her third divorce were “extremely difficult” for her and she felt “broken”. The actor was previously married to club owner Jeremy Thomas and comedian Tom Green.
She told People that she began “trying to numb the pain and feel good” and soon found release in alcohol, which she had struggled with when she was younger. Since then, he has given up again.
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After what she calls her “messy, painful, heartbreaking walk through the fire and back on some sort of trajectory back to life,” Barrymore remains focused on her two daughters and her TV show.
“The coolest thing is that after all these years, we have the dream. It’s just different from what I swore would be the case,” she said.
The “ET” actor is also diving back into the dating pool, though she revealed earlier this year that she’s been single since her 2016 split.
“Some people can get out of a marriage or relationship and in the near future find themselves in another relationship,” Barrymore wrote in a blog post in October. “There’s nothing wrong with that! Not at all. I do not judge! Celebrate their journey! Because for some people it really does work. It didn’t work for me.”
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