Jennie Garth Reveals Her Divorce From Ex-Husband, Peter Facinelli Was 'Most Freeing Thing' In World

Actress, Jennie Garth is all set to release her new memoir, I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention. For those unaware, Jennie is best known for her role in the popular Beverly Hills 90210 franchise, where she played 'Kelly Taylor.' While she was only 18 when she started playing the role, Jennie, at 54, has faced and overcome many challenges life has thrown at her. Among these was her 2013 divorce from her ex-husband, Peter Facinelli. In her upcoming memoir, Jennie writes about the pain she felt after her marriage came to an end. 

Jennie Garth on the pain she felt after her marriage to Peter Facinelli fell apart 

Jennie Garth's new memoir, titled I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention, is all set to hit bookstores in a few days, on April 14, 2026. In the book, the actress details the pain she felt after her marriage to her first husband, Peter Facinelli, fell apart. She recalls how Peter wanted to leave her after 17 years and 3 children together.

Apparently, at that time, a therapist asked Jennie, “Why do you want to stay married to someone who doesn't love you anymore?” This question left Jennie feeling utterly humiliated. During a recent interview with People, she confessed that she spent a good amount of years “being angry, hurt, sad, just tormented by it,” and how it eked out into all aspects of her life.

Jennie even noticed her light really dimming and that she wasn't putting off any good vibes. She told the publication that she could see in the mirror the kind of negative impact that kind of grief and anger was having on her. However, with time, Jennie came to the realisation that the only way to get her out of grief was to forgive her ex-husband and move forward. She said:

"I don't know, there was a weird switch where one day I just said, 'I don't want to carry this anymore. I have done this for long enough. It's impacting my relationships with other people. It's impacting how I feel about myself. I've got to let it go. I've got to forgive him.'"

According to Jennie, after she succeeded in forgiving Peter, “it was the most freeing thing in the world.” She said that although it might be a hard thing for women who are going through a divorce to hear, it is like a switch that you have to flip; that is the truth. The 54-year-old actress said that forgiveness is all about self-preservation. Additionally, it is about choosing happiness over resentment, even after being wronged. In her words:

"It has nothing to do with the other person. It has everything to do with you preserving yourself, your life and wanting to move forward and wanting to be happy. Because you can never be happy when you're holding onto that fear, that attachment to the anger and the resentment. It's just self-sabotage." 

Jennie Garth's life after her divorce from her ex-husband, Peter Facinelli 

In the years after their divorce, Jennie and Peter have become close friends. They also co-parent their three children together. At present, Jennie has been happily married to actor, Dave Abrams for nearly 10 years. She is also living a sober lifestyle while leaning into the iconic phrase of her character, ‘Kelly Taylor' from Beverly Hills 90210. It is worth noting that Jennie also has a podcast of the same name. Surprisingly, Jennie revealed that she did not see the happy ending coming, referring to how she is now compared to 15 years ago. Calling it “weird,” Jennie said:

"It's weird. My whole life has been things just coming at me: fame, responsibilities, children, marriage, divorce, marriage, divorce. I've just been swimming and trying to keep up, and really doing the best I could do without any training. We don't get an instruction for life. We don't know how to do it. We're making it up as we go."

What are your thoughts on Jennie Garth opening up about the pain she felt after her divorce from Peter Facinelli? Let us know. 

Also read: Donald Trump Fell In Love With Melania Trump While He Was On Another Date, Proposed Her At Met Gala

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