Halle Berry: Complicated Childhood, Failed Marriages And Good Lessons Learned

November 18, 2017

Halle Berry is a beautiful and talented actress. She is certainly breaking grounds when it comes to her career but her love life seems to be a little bit complicated. Over the years, she has received almost as much attention for the men in her life as her acting successes if not more. But what exactly is it about her personal life that always seem to grab everyone's interest?

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Her childhood

Berry often expressed how strained her relationship with her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was. She accused him of being abusive towards her mother Judith Ann (née Hawkins). Her parents did eventually get divorced a few years after Halle was born. As a result of all the negative feelings she had towards her dad, the pair never had any sort of father-daughter relationship. In fact, she once said:

I haven't heard from him since [he left]. Maybe he's not alive.

Jerome did eventually die in a nursing home in 2003 and by all indications, he and Halle never mended fences before that happened.

Halle Berry's first husband, David Justice (From 1993 to 1997)

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Berry's first marriage was to the former Yankee. The union ended with her filing a restraining order against him. Even though the reason for their split has not been made clear to the public, Berry hinted that things were really bad when she stated that she was so depressed while she was married to him that she considered taking her own life.

Justice accused her of falsely implying that he was abusive towards her. To be fair, Berry, who said she was once hit so hard that she lost most of her hearing in one year, never specifically say he was responsible for hitting her. However, she never made it clear that he wasn't, a fact which incensed Justice.

Her second marriage: Eric Benét (2001 to 2005)

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Halle married the singer-songwriter in January 2001 after dating for two years. The separated a few years later amidst accusations of infidelity (his). The fact that he also underwent treatment for sex addiction in 2002 only fueled these allegations.

Her third marriage: Olivier Martinez (2013 to 2015) - Divorce pending

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Before meeting and getting married to Olivier, Berry had a long-term relationship with Canadian model, Gabriel Audry. They dated between 2005 to 2010. Three years into the relationship, she had her first child, Nahla, with him.

Martinez and Berry got married in July 2013, just three months later, she delivered their “miracle” son, Maceo. She revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that she never imagined she could get pregnant at 46.

Unfortunately, that relationship eventually fizzled out and they are now involved in a really bitter divorce and custody battle over their son.

What Halle Berry thinks of her failed relationships

Earlier this year, during a candid Q&A at the 2017 City Summit and Gala in Los Angeles, the actress opened up about the emotional toll of going through several divorces and failed relationships. She said:

I have learned to deal with three failed marriages, which has not been easy, especially when there are children involved.

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She added that women go into marriage imagining it would be a fairytale that would last forever but those dreams had been shattered for her.

So when it falls apart it feels like a huge failure and a huge disappointment. I’ve often felt guilty and responsible. I’ve suffered a lot of pain and anguish.

Having that illusion of marriage ruined over and over again could not have been easy for the actress. While some people get their happy-ever-after on their first try, the journey may get a bit rough and tough for others. Regardless of how much Berry has gone through, she continues to hold her head up high and that alone, is pretty inspiring.