Reese Witherspoon breaks silence on her life after divorce

Reese Witherspoon is speaking candidly about the difficulties she faced after her divorce from Ryan Phillippe, particularly regarding the impact of paparazzi on her children, Ava and Deacon.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Witherspoon shared her regret over staying in Los Angeles during that time, citing the relentless pursuit of photographers as a major factor.

Witherspoon recalled a harrowing incident where paparazzi chased her car with her kids inside, likening it to "a police chase down the freeways."

"They would be everywhere," she said. "All over the schools and all over the cars. I remember at church once in L.A., a guy jumping on the hood of the car and on each side, three people pushing against the window banging on the door when my kids were little after I got a divorce and chasing us... It was terrifying."

The Home Again star expressed concern over the anxiety and stress caused by the paparazzi's constant presence in her children's lives. "My kids had really bad anxiety. And it was all external," she shared.

"You can only shield them from so much, but when [paparazzi] can go to the playgrounds and are on the schoolyard, it feels like the world is chaos and there are no rules. They would yell things at the kids about their dad or me that were wildly inappropriate."

The Your Place or Mine star now wishes she had relocated her family during that period, acknowledging that the paparazzi's behaviour was overwhelming. "It was really hard on my kids. Anxiety-producing," she said.

"I really regret living in L.A. during that time. I know it feels like they're just taking pictures, but it would be like 25 people on the side of the soccer field photographing me and Ryan to see if we got along or we didn't get along. And there's a little boy and a little girl there."