Jodie Turner-Smith opens up about her experiences of co-parenting with ex-husband

Actress Jodie Turner-Smith experienced big changes this year: divorce and co-parenting. The aspiring actress opened up about navigating the latter during an interview Glamour for her cover story Woman of the Year.

The British actress, 38, said she has had to adapt to this new normal in her family dynamics after the divorce. She was marriedd to Dawson’s Creek alum Joshua Jackson.

“It’s an adjustment period for everyone when you break up with someone because you’re used to being with your child all the time,” Turner-Smith told the magazine. “But no one gives you a manual. Everyone is trying to figure it out.”

She continued, “Every parent has a different life, and especially if the reason you’re splitting up is because you have different lives, it’s only going to be more complicated by how you’re going to co-parent.”

The couple welcomed their first and only child together, Juno Rose Diana, in April 2020 after getting married in 2019. During previous interviews, Jackson revealed that Turner-Smith asked the question first, which caused controversy online. The actor then clarified that he had also proposed and asked for her father and stepfather’s permission to marry her.

After almost four years of marriage, the former couple separated in October 2023. The divorce filing cited “irreconcilable differences,” but neither party disclosed explicit reasons for the divorce at the time.

However, during an interview with The times in February, the actress shared details about how she came to her decision to file for divorce.

“Sometimes things we really want just don’t work,” Turner-Smith now tells Times. “And that’s okay. The most important thing is that you choose what is healthiest for you and your family and especially for your children.”

She continued, “There are so many different moments in our lives where we look at ourselves and say, ‘Who am I and am I true to that?’ If the answer is no, then you need to do something because I believe there are visible scars from staying in places that are not good for us. And they don’t just affect us, they affect everyone around us. I don’t think it’s a failure. We clearly had such a beautiful moment together. And now it’s time for a new moment for both of us. And how exciting! The bravest thing in the world is to recognize when something isn’t working and then take action. I always want to be that kind of example for my daughter.”

Since their divorce, Jackson has been pictured holding hands with Marvel actress Lupita Nyong’o, who also experienced unexpected heartbreak in the fall of 2023.

While the romantic chapter of the former couple’s lives is over, they still have a child to raise together. Turner-Smith told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush about a recent episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna that raising her daughter Juno is one of her most cherished things.

“Honestly, the thing I like most about myself is being that girl’s mother. I am so grateful that she chose me as her mother; that I was given that gift in life. It’s my favorite thing. I mean, it’s just an honor,” she said.

The Queen & Slim actress added, “I feel like it’s our birthright to our mother. Whether we take our children with us or not, I think it’s a woman’s birthright. We hold space for the people around us. It changed everything about me. It has only enriched me. It has shown me, No. 1, how powerful I am. Like, wow! It’s like: Supreme Being – wow!”