Peter Facinelli Talks Divorce From Jennie Garth: "She'll Always Be in My Life"

Newly separated Twilight star speaks out on his split from wife of 10 years while cohosting Live With Kelly! this morning

By Gina Serpe Apr 04, 2012 3:41 PMTags

Divorce is hard. Talking about divorce is hard. Talking about divorce in front of a tittering live TV audience is even hard.

So kudos to Peter Facinelli, who while cohosting Live With Kelly! this morning did just that, pouring his heart out about his split while simultaneously fielding catcalls and women inappropriately cheering his split from wife Jennie Garth.

But despite all that, he stayed on sober message. And that message was that, regardless of whose decision the split was, he's going through an acutely painful time…

"I recently got divorced from my wife, which has been very painful," he told Kelly Ripa, as the first "yay" from the one-the-road show's Alberta crowd made itself known.

"That's so kind of you, you must be American," Ripa said, doing her best to defuse the awkwardness.

"It's very painful to break up with somebody, especially after you've been together for 17 years and you have kids. It's even more painful when it's played out in the media, and I've tried to stay really quiet about it for the sake of my kids," the Twilight star continued.

"Jen and I are doing really well and she'll always be in my life, and I love her, and we're just going to have a different relationship."

And for now, that relationship will revolve heavily around their kids.

"We're very dedicated to being great parents," he said, before lightening the mood.

"I blame ladies' night out," he joked, pinpointing the night last month that he joined Kelly and her pals clubbing in New York City as the beginning of the end. "I woke up two weeks later in Mexico and then I got a divorce."

"He came on girls' night out in New York and dressed up like a girl," Kelly explained through laughter as photos of Peter in a blond wig flashed on screen. "That's when it all went wrong, I think."

Well, that's irreconcilable differences for you.