Jodie Turner-Smith has discussed her divorce from Joshua Jackson for the first time in a new interview since announcing their separation last year.
The once loved-up couple shocked Hollywood when they announced they would be going their separate ways after three years of marriage in October 2023.
The Queen and Slim actress, 37, cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ in her divorce filings as she made a bid to remove herself from the ‘unhealthy’ marriage.
Weeks after Jodie officially filed for divorce, Joshua, 45, was photographed holding hands with Lupita Nyong’o, 40, hours after it was confirmed they were dating.
Jodie has now spoken for the first time to the Sunday Times Style magazine about why her marriage to the Dawson’s Creek actor, 45, ended.
Jodie Turner-Smith has discussed her divorce from Joshua Jackson for the first time in a new interview since announcing their separation last year (pictured November 2023)
The once loved-up couple shocked Hollywood when they announced they would be going their separate ways after three years of marriage in October 2023 (pictured March 2023)
She said: ‘Sometimes things we really want to work just don’t end up working. And that’s OK. The most important thing is that you choose what’s healthiest for you and your family and definitely your children. There are so many different moments in our life where we look at ourselves and say, “Who am I and am I being true to that?”
‘If the answer is no, then you have to make a move because I believe that there are visible scars from staying in places that are not good for us. And they don’t just affect us, they affect everybody around us. I don’t think it’s a failure. We obviously had such a beautiful moment together. And now it’s time for a new moment for both of us.
‘And how exciting! The bravest thing in the world is to recognise when something’s not working and to make a move, and I always want to set that kind of example for my daughter. The big takeaway is that this is about just as much love and joy as it has always been. This is only about taking a step forward into a better life for everybody involved.’
Jodie’s priority is their daughter Juno Rose, three, who they welcomed together in April 2020. It was revealed in court documents they will share joint custody.
Divorce filings also revealed that Jodie and Joshua marked a different date of separation, after the actor responded to his ex’s divorce petition and claimed that they had separated later than she initially reported.
Joshua revealed in court documents obtained by Us Weekly that he and the actress had split on September 30.
According to the legal paperwork filed by Jodie, she had reported that they separated two weeks earlier on September 13 — just a day after they had attended a NYFW event together.
Both Jodie and Joshua cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for their separation and requested they share joint custody of their only child.
Days before their split was announced, Joshua said: ‘She is undeniably one of the most beautiful women on the planet,’ he said. ‘And she always smashes it when she’s on the red carpet. That is truly a wonder to behold
According to the documents, Joshua asked the court to terminate the ability for either party to pay child support.
He also requested that they both pay for the attorneys’ fees. His response was filed in response to his ex’s original and amended motion.
She had refiled to correct their legal names and also removed her initial request for Joshua to pay for her attorney’s fees.
At the time, a source told People that she filed for divorce after she ‘decided she is done’ with her ‘unhealthy’ marriage to Jackson.
‘They are on very different paths in life,’ the insider also added.
Previously, the pair secretly tied the knot in late 2019 about a year after they met at Usher’s 40th birthday party in 2018.
In April 2020, they welcomed their first and only child together — whose name was revealed in the divorce documents.
After more than three years of marriage, they sparked breakup rumours when eagle-eyed fans noticed that they unfollowed each other.
They then refollowed each other, with Joshua brushing off speculation as he gushed about his wife in a chat with E! News.
‘She is undeniably one of the most beautiful women on the planet,’ he said. ‘And she always smashes it when she’s on the red carpet. That is truly a wonder to behold.
‘But I will tell you, that there is nothing like waking up in the morning, opening my eyes and seeing her face in the morning.’
They had recently costarred in an ad campaign together, at the time, and ended up following each other again before she filed for divorce.
Joshua was left ‘heartbroken’ by his split from wife Jodie – with whom he shares three-year-old daughter Juno Rose Diana (pictured in May 2022)
Weeks after Jodie officially filed for divorce, Joshua, 45, was photographed holding hands with Lupita Nyong’o , 40, hours after it was confirmed they were dating. In October, they were first seen enjoying a Janelle Monáe concert together
Before meeting Jodie, Joshua was in a decade-long romance with Diane Kruger, which ended in 2016 (pictured together in 2015)
In December, Joshua and Lupita confirmed their relationship with a PDA-packed display for the first time since sparking dating rumours.
In October, they were first seen enjoying a Janelle Monáe concert together, shortly after their respective splits were announced.
Lupita broke up with her boyfriend of nearly a year Selema Masekela in late October.
She claimed it was the result of ‘deception’ that caused her a ‘magnitude of pain.’
Sources dished to DailyMail.com that Lupita and Joshua’s friendship had blossomed into a ‘romance.’
‘Things have slowly turned to romance between the two,’ the source said. ‘They have been amazing friends for a long time and Josh didn’t want to ruin that.
‘But as they’ve hung out more and more and dealt with their breakups, dealing with it together has added another level to their friendship. Now it is a physical relationship. They are a couple.’
It was the first time they’d been seen since their concert outing in October, which occurred just one day before Lupita confirmed her split from Selema, 52 – and one month after Joshua split from Jodie, with whom he shares daughter Juno, three.
At the time of their outing, a source explained to DailyMail.com that the pair were attempting to take things slow as they navigated their recent breakups.
They revealed: ‘Joshua has a type and Lupita definitely fits that to a tee. But they are just friends, it is still a little early for Joshua to start dating again.
‘Could he be an item with Lupita down the road? Without question… They are both still going through it with their recent breakups and still are looking to heal.’
Indeed, sources told DailyMail.com Joshua had been left ‘heartbroken’ over his split from Jodie who filed for divorce after nearly four years, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
The actor had not been ‘thrilled’ about the termination of his marriage – but it was made clear by insiders that there was no foul play involved and that their union had simply ‘run its course.’
Meanwhile, Lupita was more vocal about her ‘season of heartbreak’ following the breakdown of her relationship with the TV host and sports commentator – whom she began dating in 2022.
Lupita was more vocal about her ‘season of heartbreak’ following the breakdown of her relationship with the TV host and sports commentator Selema Masekela in October
The Oscar-winner waxed lyrical about a ‘break-up’ on Instagram, claiming it was a result of ‘deception’ by her unnamed loved one; seen on December 3
The Oscar-winner waxed lyrical about a ‘break-up’ on Instagram, claiming it was a result of ‘deception’ by her unnamed loved one.
She wrote: ‘There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering.
‘At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust…
‘I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception.
‘I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, “Whatever, my life is better this way.”
‘But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love. And so, I am choosing to face the pain, cultivating the courage to meet my life exactly as it is, and trusting that this too shall pass.
‘The promise, they say, is that a tender heart is what gives birth to fearlessness. I hope it’s true…
‘I share this to keep it, and hoping that the knowledge of my experience might be useful to someone else out there experiencing the grip of heartbreak who is poised to try and escape from the pain and miss out on the wisdom that comes from it. #Breakup Let’s face our pain so we don’t spread it.’