Reese Witherspoon opened up about a toxic relationship from her past: "My spirit had been diminished."

Reese Witherspoon is one of the most important actresses of her generation. With a prestigious career in film and television, the actress has forged a successful career path. However, she doesn't hesitate to talk about the mistakes of her past and how she sometimes had to stumble over various obstacles in forging her destiny. The Legally Blonde star opened up about a painful relationship she had in her past.

In a conversation with The New York Times , Witherspoon addressed a toxic relationship she fell victim to several years ago. “ I was very good at my job, I was always on time and did the right thing, but I wasn’t emotionally mature in my youth ,” the actress acknowledged, adding, “You get into relationships that you later realize aren’t right for you, and sometimes you don’t even realize the dynamics happening around you.”

Witherspoon recounted during the interview that that relationship left her feeling deeply insecure due to the constant, aggressive comments she received. In that regard, she said, “It took me a while to put myself back together. My spirit had been diminished because I thought all the horrible things that person was saying about me were true . So I had to rewire my brain.” And then, Reese concluded, “ It took me a long time to become the woman I am today .”

Finally, the actress expressed how difficult it is to try to maintain a private life while being a public figure. On that subject, she noted: “ That's very difficult (...) with so many people dehumanizing you in some way , taking pictures of you as if you were an animal in a zoo, and not a person with their children, sharing an intimate moment.”

Ava Phillippe has been used, since she was a child, to having her physical resemblance to her mother repeatedly pointed out, Reese Witherspoon. However, she was recently surprised when one of her followers went a step further and made a comment that also involved her father, Ryan Phillippe , and her current boyfriend, musician Dakota Brubaker .

The young actress took to TikTok to respond to a comment that read, “Almost there. Welcome back Reese and Ryan.” The hilarious clip shows Ava with her mouth open, repeatedly saying “no” and shaking her head in disgust as Brubaker appeared on the scene wearing a black T-shirt and glasses, a look similar to the one Ryan wore when he played Sebastian Valmont in the 1999 thriller Cruel Games . “Guys,” Ava wrote in the caption. “Whaaaat?”

However, she had fun with the comparison and paired the video with the song “Bittersweet Symphony,” the hit song by British band The Verve, which played at the end of the film directed by Roger Kumble and starring her parents.

Her reaction also amused her followers, and comments quickly poured in. “I can't stop watching this now,” one person wrote. “I thought the same thing,” another chimed in. And a third added: “Sorry, but this is so funny.”

Ava confirmed her romance with Brubaker in December 2024, when she shared a Polaroid photo taken in a photo booth on her Instagram account. The snapshot showed the couple cuddled up inside the small space, while the musician kissed her on the cheek.

Phillippe and Witherspoon met at the actress's 21st birthday party. It was love at first sight. In fact, they didn't wait long for the wedding, which took place in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 5, 1999, three months before Ava was born. The couple left their mark in the 90s, especially by co-starring in the film Cruel Games , to which their daughter just paid a rare tribute.

However, time deteriorated the relationship, and both cited "inexperience" as a key factor, in addition to the actor's alleged infidelity. The marriage ended in October 2007. "I got married at 23, and by 27 I was already a mother of two, so... I don't know, it's also good to know yourself. I wouldn't change anything that happened, but now I tell my daughter that it's at 25 that you're really going to start knowing who you are," Reese stated.

In addition to Ava, the actors are parents to Deacon, who came into the world in 2003. From the moment they separated, they made it clear that the children were their priority, and they shared parenting amicably.

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