‘The Hunting Wives’ Star Malin Akerman Reveals Childhood Best Friend Moved In to Take Care of Her Baby After Divorce
‘The Hunting Wives’ star Malin Akerman has revealed that her childhood best friend moved in to help her raise her then four-month-old baby during her divorce.
The Hollywood heavyweight, 47, opened up about the support she received during her 2013 divorce Roberto Zincone while speaking at the She Sees Me: The Power of Female Friendship panel, which was part of the Shine Away event at Universal Studios.
Akerman — originally from Canada but moved to California in 2002 — talked about the importance of friendship, adding that she leaned on her best friend during her toughest times, and it helped her turn her struggles into “joy,” especially when it came to her son. Sebastian.
“So I have a son who is 12 years old. But when he was 4 months old, his father and I got divorced. It came out of nowhere. It’s interesting what happens when you have children and how everything just changes and people aren’t who they seem to be.
“But anyway, we broke up and my best friend from high school came to live with me from Toronto. She moved in and helped me raise my son for the first year and a half of his life, and let me tell you, she made it. … I highly recommend it,” the actress explained.
She then suggested that everyone raise their children with their best friends because it brought her so much joy.
“It was sensational because it was one of the hardest times of my life and also one of the most joyful times of my life because I had just had a baby, and that’s shocking when you bring a human being home.
“But it’s this incredible experience, and she was the silver lining of it all, and we had so much fun. We had such a good time, and it was incredible to have that in this tainted moment of darkness,” she added.
Once the TV show icon got over her divorce, she said she was able to really focus on all the good things in her life, including having fun with her friends and family.
“It was sad when it ended, but boy, that laughter and that levity and of course the support that came with it, but just having the joyful moments together is also a huge connection. It’s the connective tissue of friendships, beyond enduring hardships,” she said.
The star then revealed that the experience taught her how to ask for help, recalling a time when she was overwhelmed that she had to ask her friend to stay behind.
“She says, ‘I’m just going to a yoga class. I can stay if you want and just take care of him if you want, but you have to ask for help. You have to ask me,'” she said.
“And I said, ‘Can you just stay?’ She says, ‘Yes. Was that so difficult? You have to start asking for help.’ I’m still working on it, but asking for help has always been such a sign of weakness for me.”
Akerman currently lives in Hollywood with her husband, Jack Donnelly39, and Sebastian.
Their home is a rustic 1940s abode near Beachwood Canyon and features Moroccan-inspired themes and vibrant colors.
She has previously spoken about her property during a collaboration with HomeGoods, noting that the word “cozy” is a good way to “sum up” her home.
“I was inspired by my grandfather’s house in the south of France, so I went for that rustic Mediterranean feel – lots of wood and stone – and worked in a Moroccan atmosphere,” she explained.
It is unclear whether this is the same house where Akerman lived when her best friend moved in.
