Even though Tia Mowry filed for divorce from her husband Cory Hardrict last month, she still sees her marriage as a success. In fact, the actress plans on maintaining a “friendship” with Hardrict as they continue to coparent their two children. Mowry has publicly shared the reason why she’s ending her 14 year marriage, and it’s something we can all learn from.
‘It’s About Self-Love’
In a recent interview with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush on Today, the Sister, Sister star opened up about why her marriage of 14 years is over.
“I knew [it was over] when I really started to focus on my happiness,” the actress admitted. “I feel like women, we tend to focus on everybody else’s happiness, making sure that everybody else is OK—meaning our children, our friends, our family.”
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Mowry went on to say that caring for herself ultimately led to her decision. “At the end of the day, it’s about self-love,” she reflected.
“When you start to really work on yourself, love yourself, know your value and know your worth, then all of a sudden, there’s this awakening. And it’s not easy. It’s a hard journey, but at the end of the day, I feel like it is so, so worth it.”
What Matters Is ‘Your Peace, Your Joy, And Your Happiness’
Apparently the loss of two family members also put Mowry’s happiness into perspective. Mowry lost her grandmother and her twin sister Tamera Mowry’s niece, Alaina Housley, in a short amount of time.
“I feel like when I started to, again, like I said, focus on myself, but there was this sadness,” remarked Mowry. “And I knew that life is short. I had actually lost my grandmother. We had lost Alaina Housley. And both of them at the same time,” she said.
“There was just an ‘aha’ moment in me where I said, ‘You know what? We need to tap in, see what’s really going on with your happiness. Life is short. Let’s go. Let’s start working on you and really focusing on what really, really matters here, which is at the end of the day, your peace, your joy and your happiness.’”
The actress filed for divorce from Hardrict on October 3rd. The following day, she publicly announced that the two were going their separate ways on Instagram.
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Even though their marriage is over, Mowry and Hardrict will remain friends as they co-parent their two children, Cree, 11, and Cairo, 4.
Mowry said of the split, “These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children. I am grateful for all the happy times we had together.”
While divorce is often viewed as something negative, Mowry’s take on her own experience is such a refreshing reminder that putting yourself first doesn’t always mean you’re selfish.