STAR MAGAZINE....
Meg Ryan's ex-husband Dennis Quaid says he's actually glad that Russell Crowe stole his wife away from him!
"Looking back over the past two years, I think Russell did Meg and I a big favor," says Quaid, 48, who stars in the new baseball movie The Rookie, about an aging pitcher who gets a second chance.
"I felt hurt and humiliated, of course, when Meg left me for Russell, but we hadn't been getting along for quite some time. We had already grown apart. We were bored with each other. Before Crowe came on the scene, we knew our marriage wasn't going to last.
"What happened was a shock to my ego. No man likes to see his wife run off with another man. But now that two years have gone by, I have a whole new perspective on what happened."
He says that he's much happier now than he was before Ryan fell for Crowe in London during the making of Proof of Life.
Quaid, who took L.A. exotic dancer Cynthia Garrett to the New York premiere of The Rookie, is especially thrilled to be dating again.
Since the split, he's been out with Andie MacDowell, Miss USA Shanna Moakler, Playboy pinup Caprice and 19-year-old model Laura Molinari Grigri.
"Great things have happened since then," he says in an exclusive interview.
"Meg has her freedom, I have my freedom and we've become good friends again. We share custody of our son Jack, whom we both love very, very much. Meg and I will always be friends.
"Since Meg left me, I've had time to re-evaluate my life and I've become a new man in many ways. Meg has become a new woman. I think we're both better human beings now than we were before. So I have no animosity toward Crowe. I have no
animosity toward Meg, either.
"Meg decided to be with Russell Crowe. It's OK with me. I wish her well in all her future relationships, and I know she wishes the same for me."
The recovering substance abuser credits a newfound spirituality with helping him forgive his ex-wife and former lover.
"I took a trip to India, I visited holy sites and sacred shrines around the world and I began to immerse myself in spirituality," he says. "I hung out with everyone from Baptist ministers to Buddhist monks, trying to learn more about
God and the spiritual side of life.
"And now I've found true happiness and inner peace. None of this would have happened if Meg hadn't left me. God is guiding my life now -- not sex or booze or cocaine. I study the Koran and read the Bible every day. I'm a very lucky
man."
What's more, he's sorry that it didn't work out between his ex and Crowe. "Sometimes the person we think is our soul mate turns out NOT to be our soul mate after all," he says. "When Meg broke up with Crowe, I never said 'I told you so.' I got no enjoyment from her pain. I want Meg to find the right person who can light up her life.
"And who knows -- maybe I'll find my own true love someday. I'm in no hurry, however. Until then, I'm spending time with my son and enjoying each new day."
Meg Ryan's ex-husband Dennis Quaid says he's actually glad that Russell Crowe stole his wife away from him!
"Looking back over the past two years, I think Russell did Meg and I a big favor," says Quaid, 48, who stars in the new baseball movie The Rookie, about an aging pitcher who gets a second chance.
"I felt hurt and humiliated, of course, when Meg left me for Russell, but we hadn't been getting along for quite some time. We had already grown apart. We were bored with each other. Before Crowe came on the scene, we knew our marriage wasn't going to last.
"What happened was a shock to my ego. No man likes to see his wife run off with another man. But now that two years have gone by, I have a whole new perspective on what happened."
He says that he's much happier now than he was before Ryan fell for Crowe in London during the making of Proof of Life.
Quaid, who took L.A. exotic dancer Cynthia Garrett to the New York premiere of The Rookie, is especially thrilled to be dating again.
Since the split, he's been out with Andie MacDowell, Miss USA Shanna Moakler, Playboy pinup Caprice and 19-year-old model Laura Molinari Grigri.
"Great things have happened since then," he says in an exclusive interview.
"Meg has her freedom, I have my freedom and we've become good friends again. We share custody of our son Jack, whom we both love very, very much. Meg and I will always be friends.
"Since Meg left me, I've had time to re-evaluate my life and I've become a new man in many ways. Meg has become a new woman. I think we're both better human beings now than we were before. So I have no animosity toward Crowe. I have no
animosity toward Meg, either.
"Meg decided to be with Russell Crowe. It's OK with me. I wish her well in all her future relationships, and I know she wishes the same for me."
The recovering substance abuser credits a newfound spirituality with helping him forgive his ex-wife and former lover.
"I took a trip to India, I visited holy sites and sacred shrines around the world and I began to immerse myself in spirituality," he says. "I hung out with everyone from Baptist ministers to Buddhist monks, trying to learn more about
God and the spiritual side of life.
"And now I've found true happiness and inner peace. None of this would have happened if Meg hadn't left me. God is guiding my life now -- not sex or booze or cocaine. I study the Koran and read the Bible every day. I'm a very lucky
man."
What's more, he's sorry that it didn't work out between his ex and Crowe. "Sometimes the person we think is our soul mate turns out NOT to be our soul mate after all," he says. "When Meg broke up with Crowe, I never said 'I told you so.' I got no enjoyment from her pain. I want Meg to find the right person who can light up her life.
"And who knows -- maybe I'll find my own true love someday. I'm in no hurry, however. Until then, I'm spending time with my son and enjoying each new day."
