This 2013 Quote From Andie MacDowell About Her Two Divorces Is Devastating

Andie MacDowell's failed marriages left such an impact on her that they've helped her identify the signs of divorce in other women. The "Four Weddings and a Funeral" star made the surprising revelation while promoting her Hallmark show, "Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove," in an interview with The Washington Post. "I can usually tell when a woman is going through a divorce because they look so gaunt and tired and sad," she said in 2013. "It's just a huge sadness." She continued, "It's horrible. It's like death. You mourn, but the person's still there."

Andie, whose first marriage to Paul Qualley lasted 13 years and produced her three children (including actor Margaret Qualley), implied that her first divorce hit her the hardest. "It's interesting I say 'my divorce' because the second marriage was so fast it just wasn't the same," she said, referencing her three-year marriage to Rhett Hartzog. However, ending any marriage can bring unwanted heartbreak. "And divorce is horrible," she continued, adding, "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I don't think it's anything that's ever completely resolved."

Fortunately, Andie found peace on the other side of her pain.

Although it may not be a perfect science, Andie MacDowell is the perfect person to notice the physical symptoms that heartbreak can induce. After all, MacDowell's tragic divorce from Paul Qualley hit her like a ton of bricks. "I was devastated by our divorce," she wrote for Guideposts Magazine. "I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even pray." Things were especially painful because she was a child of divorce, but had achieved an "idyllic" family life with Paul for 10 years before things crumbled. "The divorce tore me up," she continued. "I'd failed at love. I'd failed to keep my family together. Had I failed my children too, the way my parents had failed me?"

Fortunately, MacDowell learned a lot from her own heartbreak, and she even shared some of those tips when Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck first announced their separation, which unfortunately ended in divorce. "I think that the sooner you can let go of any anger, the better off you are," she shared with People. "I think anger really kills you, it's a really negative energy, it doesn't hurt anybody but yourself, it eats you up." She continued, "As fast as you can, resolve your own personal anger, and find your own peace of mind. There is life after divorce."

In MacDowell's case, however, life after divorce probably won't include a traditional marriage. When speaking to The Washington Post, she revealed that she believes marriage today revolves around finances. However, she said she'd be open to a spiritual marriage.