Like many people, when I first heard the news (six months ago) that two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank and her husband, actor Chad Lowe were separating I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that after nearly 14 years together they were calling it quits. I know, I know, why should I be surprised to hear that yet another Hollywood marriage was biting the dust? I suppose I thought their union was “different.” After all, wasn’t it Lowe who tearfully watched from the audience as Swank accepted not one, but two Oscars. I watched him blow kisses from his seat while Swank stood on stage proclaiming that she could not have accomplished as much as she had without his steadfast love and support.
Now in a revealing new interview with Vanity Fair magazine Swank says Lowe’s “substance-abuse” problem was at the heart of their split.
“When I found out, it was such a shock because I never thought he’d keep something from me. And yet, on another level, it was a confirmation of something I was feeling that was keeping us from being completely solid,” Swank candidly confesses.
Swank goes on to say that Lowe is currently sober, but he has been dealing with a substance abuse problem (she doesn’t name what substance he abused) for years—unbeknownst to her. When the actress finally learned that her husband was battling an addiction she says, “I wanted to be there, I knew it was the most important time of his life. That’s when he needed me most.” His problem, she adds, is “an enormous obstacle to overcome, and he’s doing it. He’s living a sober life. I know how difficult it is, and I’m really proud of his sobriety.”
Swank says she will be the first to admit that she has her own faults and as she looks back at her failed marriage she realizes Lowe’s addiction wasn’t the sole reason they are no longer together. She says his substance abuse problem just proved they were simply not the right people for each other and that the marriage was not going to work.
In addition, contrary to wide spread speculation Swank emphatically denies that the success of her career was a factor in their breakup. (You’ll recall that she took home Academy Awards for her work in “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby.”)
When the couple announced their separation in January Swank hinted that a reconciliation could be in the works. But in May, they announced that they would be divorcing. It’s too bad. I had been a fan of Chad Lowe’s since his days on the ABC show, “Life Goes On.” When I was a pre-teen, pictures of Chad’s brother, Rob Lowe, decorated my bedroom wall. Chad seemed like such a sweet, soft-spoken, sincere guy… a perfect match to the equally down-to-earth Swank who confessed to Oprah that she and her mother lived in their car during their early days in Hollywood. Unfortunately, it seems Swank’s marriage wasn’t destined to share the same fate as her career.