Coming Out Of The Dark

A rocky childhood, rehab and three divorces later, Drew Barrymore is stronger today than ever. The star shares how she’s found that new spark in life as megastar and devoted mum

- Sandhya Mahadevan

A mini-mogul, actress, producer, winemaker, beauty brand founder and mother – that’s Drew Barrymore in a nutshell. From mischievous Gertie (in E.T.) to Sheila Hammond aka the zombie in Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, her on-screen roles have run the gamut: Cute, funny and scared, to now, scary. All these pale in comparison to her toughest role yet – that of a single mother.

But the 43-year-old says she has adapted to her new role of active, single working parent in a way that has exceeded her own high expectations. She’s happy, energised and upbeat about life and work, radiating pure positivity, and admits to having overcome the difficult period following her divorce to art dealer Will Kopelman in 2016.

“The end of my marriage was the biggest tragedy of my life,” Drew admits. “I suffered through some very bad moments and it took me a long time to collect the pieces. But, you know how it is, things don’t always go according to plan.”