Divorce is never an easy decision, but sometimes it’s necessary to live your best life. That is what actress Tia Mowry realized.
In a recent cover story for HelloBeautiful, she opened up about what led her to make the decision to divorce her husband of 14 years, Cory Hardrict. One of those factors were her two children: son Cree and daughter Cairo.
“For them seeing their mother walk in truth, I feel like it’s a great lesson for them because it was not an easy decision,” she shared.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I had ever had to make in my entire life,” Mowry said of her decision to end her marriage. “But if they see that mommy can do it, that mommy, no matter what people say, no matter, even if there’s some sort of doubt, whatever, mommy pushed through.”
She shared that the decision to divorce didn’t happen overnight, but over a series of years. After the death of her beloved grandmother and the unexpected death of her sister Tamera’s niece, Mowry started therapy to deal with her grief. That led her on a journey of self-discovery.
“I just started to begin to blossom, evolve, learn, and grow. That was like the aha moment,” she explained.
She spent several years growing and understanding herself before she realized that she needed to divorce Hardrict to be able to live her most authentic truth.
“Change is constant,” she shared. “It’s OK that if something is no longer aligned or serving you, it’s OK to let go.”
Having her kids see her being true to herself and her needs was one of the most important parts of what led to her decision. She wanted them to use her as an example of what living truthfully looked like.
“I want for them not to live a life that I want them to live, for them not to live a life that everybody else wants them to live or what they think that they should be or live,” she explained.
As people, we are inherently flawed, but so many of us chase perfection, especially as mothers. Mowry wants to break down those beliefs for her kids and give them the space to remember they’re human.
“I want them to see that it is okay to have a bad day,” she admitted. “I want them to see that it is okay to chase your joy. I want them to see that it is okay to live your truth.”
Mowry announced her separation from Hardrict in October 2022 via an Instagram post. The couple is committed to maintaining a friendship and co-parenting their children.
“What made me happy 10 years ago is different than what’s making me happy now,” she shared.
