Jenna Dewan found it "difficult" that everyone saw Channing Tatum and her "in this idealised romanticised light" before they split.
The ‘Step Up’ star split from the actor in 2018 but she admits she found it tough keeping things quiet as she prefers to be "honest and real".
Writing in her book, ‘Gracefully You: How to Live Your Best Life Every Day’, she said: "I’d come to realise the dynamic I was in wasn’t serving me nor was it serving my daughter. First and foremost, I had to accept the realisation this isn’t working and had moved into hurting. The public saw Channing and I in this idealised romanticised light. This made things difficult for me because I like being as honest and real as I can."
Jenna previously confessed she "let herself grieve" over the end of her marriage to Channing.
She said: "People are like, ‘How do you get through this?’ I didn’t run away from my feelings. I let myself cry. I let myself grieve. This is one of those situations where I will see the light. The dawn is coming."
At the time of their split, the couple released a joint statement to confirm they had "lovingly chosen to separate".
It reads: "We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple. We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision – just two best friends realising it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible. We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly. We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy. Sending lots of love to everyone, Chan&Jenna (sic)"