It isn’t easy navigating divorce — or coming out the other side of it intact. Luckily, anyone dealing with the same struggles can look to Jenna Dewan, who took her tumultuous breakup with longtime love and ex-husband Channing Tatum and turned it into a new and fulfilling life with boyfriend Steve Kazee.
“It was a hard journey of growth and change,” the 38-year-old told PEOPLE in their latest issue. “Ultimately now I can honestly say that I’m living in a very joyful new place in my life, and I’m happy about it.”
We could see why the dancer is so thrilled about where she has ended up in her journey. She and her Tony Award winner boyfriend announced they were expecting their first child together on September 24. They were first romantically connected a little less than a year prior, in October 2018.
“You would never expect your life to take a turn the way it does,” she explained to the outlet. “But embracing it and starting fresh and figuring out what you want in life and what means a lot to you and what’s meaningful, what is going to make you happy.”
Needless to say, the happy (and somewhat new) family the actress is creating with her new man is definitely a source of delight for her right now — so much so that the dynamic duo is gearing up to expand their living situation with a new home.
“They’re looking for a bigger pad, with more space in the San Fernando Valley, so that the kids have more freedom to run around and play,” an insider told Life & Style exclusively on October 2. “When it comes to buying the property, they’d never put an offer in without Everly seeing it first. She wants to find a place that the whole family loves.” Clearly, the 6-year-old daughter she shares with Channing, 39, is an important part of the sweet couple’s quest to build their life together.
“I’m grateful that I now am at a place where I understand myself and what I want and I’m happy about this new chapter,” Jenna gushed to PEOPLE. “I’m in a place of joy.” You deserve it, mama.