Details About Hallmark Star Rachael Leigh Cook's Divorce From Daniel Gillies
Long ago, Rachael Leigh Cook dated Ryan Reynolds. They weren't endgame, either, and Cook went on to marry Daniel Gillies — but those two weren't endgame either. They were married for about 15 years before they called it quits, and their separation was announced in June 2019 on Instagram. Cook and Gillies' statement said it was mutual, but not an easy decision. They continued, "We love and respect each other as parents, people and artists and look forward to maintaining the best parts of our relationship for many years to come." They also asked for "discretion" due to their kids.
Cook, an actor known for Hallmark projects and "She's All That," spoke with Entertainment Tonight in July 2019 about her separation from "Virgin River" actor Gillies and how their children, Charlotte and Theodore, didn't know yet. Gillies was in New Zealand working on a project, meaning the discussion would have to wait. Cook made it clear Gillies nor herself would never up and leave the family and added, "He's hopelessly devoted to them and we're going to get through this together. He's an amazing person and I still consider him my very best friend and we'll make it one way or another." Cook compared their relationship's evolution to a new book chapter and believed if her children were fine, she would be too. Their subsequent divorce wasn't laden with affair rumors, like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's split.
Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies are still friends
In July 2020, Daniel Gillies filed for divorce from Rachael Leigh Cook. However, everything was good between the two of them — in a January 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, he called Cook his "best friend" (via Us Weekly). Cook felt the same, telling Entertainment Tonight that August that the decision to split was difficult, but that she and Gillies were good friends and even confidants. "He'll tell me about dates that he goes on and funny things that might have happened and we genuinely laugh about it," Cook told the outlet. "I don't know. Divorce needs a new publicist. It's not that bad." She also said that co-parenting isn't harder than parenting together, but did express nerves about bringing her new beau Kevin to meet her children.
That same month, Cook explained to Us Weekly how she and Gillies broke the divorce news to Charlotte and Theodore: "[We told them] what mom and dad know, and [that] this is a grown ups decision, not a kids decision. ... We're always going to be your parents but we're just not going to be married to each other anymore. ... Everything else is going to be the same for the foreseeable future, but just so you know that's something that's going to happen."
In March 2021, Cook and Gillies' divorce was finalized. They shared custody of their kids, and also of their pets.
Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies found new love
The "Kevin" Rachael Leigh Cook mentioned to Entertainment Tonight was Kevin Mann, a producer. Judy Greer set up Cook and Mann, according to Cook's 2021 New York Times interview. Cook said she was a proponent of divorce, adding, "Life is too short not to be true to who you are and what you need." The year prior while speaking to People, Cook didn't share Mann's name but she raved about him: "He's just one of the kindest, smartest, silliest, most incredibly wonderful humans you could ever want to meet. And I'm lucky that he is also tolerating me." In February 2021, Daniel Gillies went Instagram Story official with his new girlfriend, Julia Misaki (via Us Weekly).
In 2022, Cook told Us Weekly how she and Gillies were "happily divorced" and would take their children trick-or-treating together on Halloween. "We go out walking around together and my kids like my boyfriend [Kevin Mann] a lot and we're slowly just navigating what that looks like and it's tough," Cook said. The "Frozen in Love" actor advised other separated couples to focus on the future and discussed going to therapy with Gillies while separating: "Divorce therapy is — you don't get to bring up anything that didn't happen incredibly recently unless it's relevant to the days in the future."
As of writing, it's unconfirmed but believed Cook and Mann are still together. The same goes for Gillies and Misaki, due to him tagging her in Instagram posts.