Ashlyn Harris Says She’s in 'One of the Har...

Just shy of a year since she filed for divorce from Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris is opening up about the experience, which she calls “one of the hardest seasons” of her life in a new interview

Published Time: 19.07.2024 - 01:31:15 Modified Time: 19.07.2024 - 01:31:15

Just shy of a year since she filed for divorce from Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris is opening up about the experience, which she calls “one of the hardest seasons” of her life in a new interview.

Speaking with Women’s Health on Wednesday, July 16, the former USWNT player revealed how her divorce from Krieger has impacted her mental health.

"I'm navigating a divorce that's been really hard," Harris, 38, said. "I can't control everyone else's reaction. I can't control everyone else's opinions of me. I have to own myself and my body and be present and be human."

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In November 2023, Harris said cyberbullying about her divorce led her to make a public statement on social media calling for the “unbearably painful” comments to stop.

“Several weeks ago, a process that had been ongoing privately for some time became public,” Harris wrote at the time. “Ending a relationship after almost 13 years of friendship, teammate-ship, marriage and co-parenting (many of them good years) is a decision that was not made lightly.”

“The online hate that has happened since has been one of the most personally devastating experiences of my life,” the statement continued. “Words matter. The cheering on abuse, the people clamoring to encourage me to commit suicide, and the cruel words spoken about my c -

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hildren, and who I am as a mother? Those words matter.”

The former couple shares custody of their two children Sloane, 3, and Ocean, 2, and Harris stated that despite the tumultuous split she’s committed to keeping a safe space and normalcy for them.

She explained to Women’s Health, "My storm doesn't have to be theirs. It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through — dealing with a divorce with two very young children and not letting them see or feel my storm and rain. It's a really big test."

Harris and Krieger first met in 2010 when they were members of the USWNT. They announced their engagement with PEOPLE in 2019 and married that same year in Florida.

Harris filed for divorce from Krieger on Sept. 19, 2023 after four years of marriage. She is currently dating Sophia Bush after the actress' split from husband Grant Hughes, PEOPLE confirmed in October.

Harris told Women's Health that Bush has helped as she manages her mental health.

"I say this often to Sophia — if I'm walking into a fire, I have to be equipped for that fire. I have to get my fire suit, I've got to get my tools, I gotta get my oxygen mask, I gotta get my water hose. I'm f---ing breaking down that door and I'm finding a way out. It might not be an easy window — it might be a back door, it might be climbing through a roof. But I'm equipped to handle the process."