Exes
Jillian Michaels Reveals Her ‘Struggle’ After Split From Ex Heidi Rhoades in Rare Personal Interview
Jillian Michaels opened up about her split from ex Heidi Rhoades and how it affected their two children in a new interview. While appearing on Fox Nation’s Sean, the fitness trainer got candid about ending her nine-year relationship with her former partner.
The women were together from 2009 to 2018 and even got engaged at one point. They adopted a daughter, Lukensia, in 2012, which was the same month that Rhoades gave birth to their son, Phoenix.
“Unfortunately, I split with my ex, which was something I really struggled with because of the kids,” Michaels admitted to host Sean Hannity. “But I thought, like, if I stay here, I’m a shell of myself. I’m not myself. I’m not mentally well in this dynamic anymore. And I chose to leave. And it, to this day, hurts the kids. I mean, I see it.”
While Michaels acknowledged that Lukensia and Phoenix “love their stepmothers” — she married Deshanna Marie Minuto in July 2022, and it appears Rhoades has also moved on — she also said she can see how “hard” the split still is for the children, particularly Phoenix.
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“I try very often to constantly say really good things about his mom. This is his birth mother,” she pointed out. “And, I mean, I mean them all. But I can tell, like, it bothers him.” She said her preteen “isn’t very forthcoming,” but she always offers him words of wisdom when he clams up or starts crying.
“I’m like, ‘Listen, buddy, I’m sorry for all the things that went wrong. I’m sorry you don’t have a dad. I’m sorry about this. I’m sorry about that. But if it hadn’t worked out the way that it worked out, you wouldn’t be here. And all I can do is try to be better with every passing day. And some things just suck. And I’m sorry about that. Like, there are things I just can’t fix.'”
