Drew Barrymore just opened up about her divorce in a very real way
We’re still pretty sad about the recently-announced divorce between Drew Barrymore and her husband, art consultant Will Kopelman. According to PEOPLE, sources have revealed the couple – who have been married for almost four years and are parents to daughters Olive, 3, and Frankie, almost 2 – had been growing apart for a while, disagreeing about whether to make their permanent home in New York or Los Angeles. Another source says they’ll be working out their daughters’ living arrangements in the near future, and that Kopelman is “devastated.”
But though this time in their life is undoubtedly tough, like any good parents, Barrymore and Kopelman are putting their children first. In a statement the pair released to PEOPLE over the weekend, they outlined exactly what the divorce will mean in terms of their family.
“Sadly our family is separating legally, although we do not feel this takes away from us being a family. Divorce might make one feel like a failure, but eventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on,” the statement says. “Our children are our universe, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority.”
Aside from the obvious focus on the couple continuing to be a family for their children, we love how simple and mature this statement is about the idea of divorce in general. Sometimes things don’t work out in a relationship — it’s no one’s fault, and life does move forward.
Barrymore also spoke to POPSUGAR over the weekend at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, where she was there to promote her new Barrymore Wines Rosé. And though she didn’t mention her divorce specifically, she did share a story about some great advice she received from a friend that we can’t help notice really resonates with the current situation.
“I had a really hard time a couple of months ago and kind of knew life was heading in a new direction. I called someone that I really trust, respect, and believe in, because he has always been the conductor of grace,” Barrymore said. “I said, ‘What’s your advice?’ And he said, ‘You put one foot in front of the other.’ I hung up the phone and I thought, ‘That is why I call this person.’ It’s not only succinct, but it’s almost physically productive and life-choice productive. It’s just great advice. It’s a kind of way in which to live, and I want to be like him. I want to be like that. I want to put one foot in front of the other.”
It definitely seems like that’s what Barrymore is doing, by continuing to live her best life and make her girls her first priority. Late last week, she shared some images on Instagram of herself getting a tattoo on the inside of her wrist – one that bears her daughters’ names.
“The only thing I care about, my life’s mission and the only thing that matters as of now is that my daughters know what our lives were like, how we lived, and how much I love them,” Barrymore added in the POPSUGAR interview when asked how she’d want to be remembered. “For them to know that they were not just loved, but, like, ridiculously, utterly, life-alteringly loved. That’s the only reason I’m here now!”
Our hearts hurt for Barrymore and Kopelman, but we’re so glad they can see the positive in the road ahead and that their daughters have such wonderful and caring parents. We can’t wait to hear any and all future inevitable awesome parenting stories that they choose to share with us.