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Tia Mowry is opening up about her divorce from her husband of 14 years and the father of her two children, Cory Hardrict. As The Shade Room previously reported, the former couple finalized their divorce in April, almost six months after Mowry made the initial divorce filing in October 2022.
In an exclusive interview with HelloBeautiful, the 44-year-old explained that it took her “years” to decide to file for divorce. She shared that she loves “being a wife.” However, she also realized that adhering to “tradition” does not allow for “change.”
“I love being a wife. But I am understanding that tradition could be a blessing and a curse. What I mean by that is tradition warrants for no change, whereas change is constant.”
The actor then explained that the death of her grandmother in 2019 and the passing of her twin sister’s niece, Alaina Housley, in 2018 prompted her to ask herself if she was really happy.
“That woke me up. I asked myself, ‘Tia, are you happy?’ And I said, I truly need to find my peace and my happiness. That’s when I went to therapy…”
Mowry explained that in therapy, she began to “blossom, evolve, learn, and grow.” Additionally, she even experienced an “aha moment.”
“The pivotal moment where I was like, you know what? It’s time to really start living your truth.”
Despite the realization, the actor explained that it took her about five years before she finally settled on the decision to divorce.
“This was maybe five years before I decided to make my decision. It took me that long to process everything and realize that it’s okay…”
Today, Mowry believes that change “is constant,” and she encourages others that “it’s okay” to “let go” of something that is “no longer aligned or serving you.”
The actor also explained that her decision to file for divorce from Hardrict was also for her son, Cree, 12, and daughter, Cairo, 5. She believes it was important for them to see “their mother walk in truth.”
“A part of my decision was also for them. 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. It was one of the hardest decisions that I had ever had to make in my entire life. But if they see that mommy can do it…
[They can say] my mommy is living and chasing her truth. I want my children to do that. That’s the best gift I can give them…”
Mowry continued by explaining that she wants her children to live a life that is authentic to them, their choices, and their happiness.
“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. I want them to see that it is okay to have a bad day. 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.”
Before ending the interview, the actor shared where she is now following such a significant life change.
“I’m not taking life too seriously. What I mean by that is in the context of perfectionism, [I’m] just going with the flow…”
