Channing Tatum Opens Up About 'Terrifying' Split From Jenna Dewan

"Step Up" star Channing Tatum recently looked back at his relationship with Jenna Dewan after almost five years. The actor revealed that it was "really scary" and "terrifying" at the time to split from Dewan after a decade of marriage.

Tatum also noted that their divorce came after a long time of fighting the fact that they'd "grown apart" and didn't belong together anymore. Becoming parents also made the actor and his former beau realize how different they were. 

While they felt like it was the right thing to do, the divorce made the "Magic Mike" star sad. However, Tatum said he channeled all his energy into their daughter, Everly, who he is now best friends with. 

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In an interview with Vanity Fair, the 42-year-old admitted that they "fought for [the marriage] for a really long time," even when they "knew that we had sort of grown apart." Tatum and Dewan met on the "Step Up" film set in 2006, got married three years later in 2009, and welcomed their first child, Everly, in 2013.

However, the duo announced their split in 2018 and officially divorced in 2019. In response to why they stayed together that long, Tatum revealed that they held on to their vows from when they were younger.

"I think we told ourselves a story when we were young, and we just kept telling ourselves that story, no matter how blatantly life was telling us that we were so different."

Tatum also noted that raising their now four-year-old daughter made them realize how different they truly were. He said per E! News, "Because it is screaming at you all day long. How you parent differently, how you look at the world, how you go through the world."

The "Dog" actor revealed that it wasn't easy to handle the split as he wasn't used to it. Tatum described the first few months after the separation as "super scary" and "terrifying." It was especially difficult because the star had planned a lot of things for the family of three before the split. "This whole plan that you had literally just turns into sand …and you're just like, 'Oh, shit. What now?'"

However, things eventually got better as the actor realized that the divorce "was probably exactly what I needed." It also encouraged him to "do the work on myself to really try to figure out what next." While Tatum wanted to do other things, the "Son of No One" actor decided to focus on his daughter.

"It just started with my daughter. I just dropped everything and just focused on her." The star recalled that it was the "best possible" decision as it helped him deal with the divorce. "Because in the alone time that I have with just me and her, we've become best friends."

The "Superman and Lois" star recalled being downcast at the beginning of her split from Tatum. "At the beginning of my separation, it felt as though I were in a dark closet, desperately trying to find the light or the way out," Dewan wrote in her 2019 book, Gracefully You: Finding Beauty and Balance in the Everyday (via E! News).

The "World of Dance" alum spoke about being "in a state of shock" and feeling different emotions. "One week I'd be doing really well and the next I was slammed with a whole new slew of emotions." Dewan also recalled not knowing what to do next since she wasn't used to the separation. "There were many times I hid under the covers, wondering what was next."

Her feelings slowly turned to pain which was even more difficult to handle. She wrote, "I was completely overcome with fear and sadness. It took many moments of sitting alone with my grief to force me into surrendering to my roller coaster of a situation."

While both Tatum and Dewan have moved on romantically since their split, the "Side Effects" actor noted that he wouldn't be getting married again. The star, who split from singer Jessie J in 2020 after two years together, is now on another romantic journey with actress Zoë Kravitz.

Although they look good together, Tatum said, "I don't know if I'm ever going to get married again." However, Dewan, on the other hand, will soon walk down the aisle with her sweetheart Kazee who she started seeing in 2018. The two got engaged in February 2020 and welcomed their son Callum the month after.