Drew Barrymore Recovered from 'Painful' Divorce for Her 2 Kids Yet 'Worships' Ex's New Wife

It was not love at first sight for Hollywood A-lister Drew Barrymore when she met her third husband, Will Kopelman. However, their relationship only lasted a few years when he eventually won her over. Barrymore was left devastated for years, grieving their failed marriage.

Actress Drew Barrymore has had her fair share of brief marriages throughout her adult life. Her first marriage was to Welsh bar owner Jeremy Thomas in March 1994, but they split a month later.

She then wed comic Tom Green in July 2001, but he filed for divorce that December. Barrymore tried her luck at love for the third time when she briefly dated Will Kopelman in 2010, and they reunited in February 2011.

The actor asked for her hand in marriage in December 2011 during the holidays in Sun Valley, Idaho. At the time, the talk show host was pregnant with the couple's first child together. A friend revealed during that period that Barrymore wanted to walk down the aisle in June before she gave birth.

As per her wish, the duo wed in June 2012 at her Montecito, California estate in front of family and close friends, including Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon, Busy Philips, and Jimmy Fallon, among others.

An insider revealed to Us Weekly that Barrymore had always wanted to be a part of a close family like the Kopelman's. The "Charlie's Angels" star told Ellen DeGeneres once that she was in love with her husband's family:

"He has this incredible family. I am as in love with his family as I am with him, which is an extraordinary gift. You never take that for granted. It is an absolute blessing. I feel very lucky. They're incredible people."

IT WAS NEVER LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT FOR BARRYMORE

Despite previously stating that she was as in love with her spouse's family as she was with him, Barrymore told InStyle magazine in November 2015 that it was not love at first sight with Kopelman. She emphasized his good qualities as an individual with a loving family:

"It was never really love at first sight. Will struck a lot of my pragmatic sides. He was someone who was a classy human being, someone who has this incredible blueprint of a family that I don't have."

The California native then revealed what attracted her to him, saying, "what I love about him is that he embodies the power of choice. He chooses to be a good person every day."

In an interview with Brides in 2014, Barrymore gushed about her wedding to the "The Intern" star, revealing her favorite part about their nuptials was when he gave a speech. She admired his eloquence and articulation:

"I was super turned on, excited, proud. I had so many wonderful emotions!"

Barrymore and Kopelman welcomed two kids within their marriage, daughters Frankie, who arrived in 2014, and Olive, born in 2012. In October 2015, Barrymore spoke candidly about her rough childhood and motherhood.

She revealed to People that some individuals mentioned how sad her life was. At a young age, the mother of two was exposed to a wild lifestyle. She was institutionalized at age 12 and lived by herself at age 15.

So when she started having kids of her own, people were curious about what she would tell her brood about her upbringing. Barrymore wrote a book in which she details her life story called "Wildflower."

The author said she wants her children to know that she is far from perfect and to guide them in the best way she knows. That means prioritizing them, an idea their dad, Kopelman, is also on board with.

Barrymore shared she loved watching the art consultant be a father to their kids, adding that even though other people recommend putting a relationship first, she believes in her offspring taking priority in her life:

"I love it being all about the kids. Maybe that's my compensating for not having parents myself or a childhood, but right now, the focus is about how we're figuring things out as parents."

BARRYMORE & KOPELMAN DIVORCED AFTER MOUNTING TENSION

In 2016, the couple ended their marriage after nearly four years of matrimony. Sources confirmed to People that the pair were splitting following ongoing disagreements in their union, stating:

"They've had marriage issues for a while. There was tension over where to live."

An insider disclosed that Barrymore liked Los Angeles while Kopelman preferred New York City. The family of four had been living on the Upper East Side of NYC.

The former couple's decision to part ways came just two months before they would celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary, leaving Barrymore shattered.

At the time, a source divulged to Us Weekly that the Golden Globe Award winner felt "like a failure," seeing as she had already been divorced twice. A pal close to the duo revealed they expected to be together for the long haul:

"She's disappointed this didn't work. They both expected to be together forever."

Shortly after announcing their divorce, Kopelman and Barrymore released a joint statement to People. They said though their family was breaking apart legally, "we do not feel this takes away from us being a family."

In addition, they mentioned that even though the procedure might make one feel like a failure; eventually, one gets the idea that life goes on: "Our children are our universe, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority," said the pair.

BARRYMORE'S POST-DIVORCE STRUGGLES

In September 2021, Barrymore got candid about her difficult time dealing with the divorce during an appearance on the podcast, "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard."

She had a nervous breakdown after realizing that her children would not have a mom and a dad living in the same household as she had hoped. The beauty mogul struggled to cope and kept up a façade.

Still, she and Kopelman did not want their children to grow up in an unhappy home. Even though there was nothing scandalous about the divorce, it was still heart-breaking for Barrymore.

It took five years for her to get over the separation and get to a better place in her life. She talked to people who helped her deal with her grief. The Emmy nominee also had her kids in mind, whom she had to fight for to get back to her old self again.

In addition, on her talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show," the host said that eventually, she received help and made changes in her life that made a difference for her to move forward.

BARRYMORE ADORES KOPELMAN'S NEW WIFE

The change came with accepting that her children now have a new stepmother, Alexandra Michler, whom Kopelman married in 2021. Barrymore gushed about Michler once, saying she is "an amazing woman. I feel like I won the lottery with her. I really did."

The former child star said Michler came into their lives and got to know her daughters well enough. Barrymore includes the couple in everything to do with the kids, travels with them occasionally, and has family dinners.

However, she also knows boundaries, and they all try to find their way together respectfully. Though she does not try to be Michler's best friend, she "knows that I worship the ground she walks on, and I'm her biggest cheerleader," said Barrymore.

In March 2022, the producer talked about co-parenting with Kopelman, sharing that both of them get a day off, which is a bonus. When talking about the downsides of co-parenting, she said missing her girls when they are with their father.