Reese Witherspoon ‘Upset’ Over Breakup: ‘Never Saw Herself Getting Another Divorce’
Reese Witherspoon never envisioned going through another divorce, a source tells PEOPLE.
The Oscar winner, 47, revealed Friday that she and husband Jim Toth, whom she wed in March 2011, are separating. Witherspoon shares 10-year-old son Tennessee with Toth, 52, and she is also mom to daughter Ava, 23, and son Deacon, 19, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.
“Reese is obviously disappointed and upset. She never saw herself getting another divorce,” a source tells PEOPLE. “They love Tennessee and this is their focus. They will continue to co-parent amicably. There is no drama.”
“After she was set up with Jim, their relationship moved quickly. Reese was thrilled by his attention and excited to marry him,” adds the source of the pair. “They are two very different people though. Reese is headstrong and focused. Although very hard-working, Jim is more laidback.”
The source adds, “It’s been very difficult for Reese to get to this point though. They both concluded this was right for them.”
She and Phillippe, now 48, began quietly dating before making the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions together. They eventually got married in June 1999, and announced their breakup in 2006. Phillippe later called the split “the worst time of my life.”
In 2014, Witherspoon said on CBS’ 60 Minutes that it was a “tough year” after her split with Phillippe and she “spent a few years just trying to feel better.” She went on to say the struggles she experienced in her personal life at the time of the divorce had also affected her career.
“You can’t really be very creative when you feel like your brain is scrambled eggs,” she said at the time. “I was just kind of floundering career-wise. I wasn’t making things I was passionate about … And it was really clear that audiences weren’t responding to anything I was putting out there.”
After her breakup with her Rendition (2007) costar Jake Gyllenhaal in 2009, Witherspoon met Toth, then a talent agent, at a party at a mutual friend’s house.
In their joint statement Friday, Witherspoon and Toth said the “difficult decision” to divorce came after “a great deal of care and consideration.”
“We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together,” they said. “Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”
Reese Witherspoon ‘Upset’ Over Breakup: ‘Never Saw Herself Getting Another Divorce’. Reese Witherspoon ‘Upset’ Over Breakup: ‘Never Saw Herself Getting Another Divorce’
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