Rachael Leigh Cook is candidly opening up about her split from Daniel Gillies.
ET's Katie Krause spoke with the actress at Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Summer 2019 TCA press tour event in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, where she shared the struggles of ending her relationship to Gillies after 15 years of marriage. Cook and Gillies announced their separation in June, but have yet to tell their children.
"Daniel's actually filming in New Zealand for almost three months now, and so we can't formally talk to them about what's going on until he's back, because otherwise what it means is dad disappeared," explained Cook -- who shares 5-year-old daughter Charlotte and 4-year-old son Theodore with Gillies. "That's far from anything Daniel would ever do, or myself. He's hopelessly devoted to them and we're going to get through this together. He's an amazing person and I still consider him my very best friend and we'll make it one way or another."
"This is good preparation for like -- I don't know how I'm going to talk to my kids. This is a little awkward, so maybe this is a good stepping stone to that," she confessed.
Cook and Gillies had been together for nearly 20 years, and while their split came as a shock to fans, the actress said their friends weren't surprised. "The funniest part about this was nobody was that surprised. That almost surprised me the most. Everyone was like 'Oh, what else? What should we have for dinner?'" she shared.
"[But] I get [why fans might be sad]," Cook added. "I take it very personally usually when extra couples break up... But, you know, we got married when I was 24. I think we were just a little bit ahead of the curve, so it feels like we're first, and that's hard, but I don't know. I still love him to death, and he's gone and I miss him, but we're just going to forge a new path forward."
That new path means Cook and Gillies won't be getting back together, she said. "The analogy I like to use is... the characters stay the same but this chapter is ending. We move forward," she shared.
For now, the She's All That star is focusing on herself -- and asking fans for advice on how to get through similar situations.
"As long as the kids will be OK, I'll be OK," she said. "I don't know what I'm doing, so if anybody has advice, tag me online. Seriously, I'm all ears."
"I went to the spa yesterday... got a little help, took an hour for myself, and that felt really good," Cook recalled. "But, I don’t know. It feels uncertain and nobody warns you how hard adulting is going to be. Now, I'm just -- I'm learning. Never bored, and I'm very grateful."
The Hallmark star is also looking forward to her upcoming movie, The Christmas Bride, which will air during the network's "Countdown to Christmas" this year.
"Let's just say people who love them some Hallmark, they're not shy about it, and they love it so very much. As do I. And they want to chat," Cook dished of fans' enthusiasm. "They know that if you work with Hallmark, that you're down, that you're family, and that's the way I feel when I'm here."
"I'm excited to be doing a Christmas movie, because that's inner circle time," she added. "I was ready, and now it's like, they put me in, so just got to deliver!"
See more on Cook in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
