Beverly Hills, 90210’s Kelly Taylor faced innumerable trials and tribulations stemming from her family life, romantic relationships and growing up in that troubled zip code. When Jennie Garth, who brought exceptional depth and empathy to the role, finally retired the popular character in 2010, her own life was (vaguely) imitating art. In 2012, her husband and longtime partner, actor Peter Facinelli, filed for divorce.
Garth experienced what was understandably a difficult readjustment period. “It still saddens me today that it happened. Unless it’s something you wanted, divorce is not something you ever get over,” she stated in a recent interview with FOX News. Harder still was the transition to joint custody. Garth and Facinelli have three daughters together: Luca Bella (16), Lola Ray (11) and Fiona Eve (7). “Having them leave that first time to go spend the week at dad’s house…It still gets me every time…I call it ‘transition day.’ Every time I have to have a transition day it takes me a day to figure it out. I know now what’s wrong. I’m always sad for the whole day, just blue and glum because my girls are gone. A chunk of me is taken away when they leave. I really have to recompose myself,” the actress revealed with disarming candor.
It’s always impressive when a member of the A-list chooses to be so raw and open about their personal struggles in spite of the scrutiny they’ll inevitably receive. However, Garth is clearly not an object of pity. The single working mom’s new reality TV show, The Jennie Garth Project, premieres next month. It follows the bombshell through her swanky home renovation, and will have you upping the ante on your own spring redecorating projects.
Garth also recently co-authored her memoir, Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde, which, for fans of the 90210 franchise, is a total guilty-pleasure must-read. Garth, with unflagging honesty and a lively sense of humor, spares no detail when it comes to discussing the drama that the cameras didn’t capture: “I don’t know why it is, but there is a universal truth that when you put three teenage girls together, some serious s–t is going to go down,” Garth writes, noting how co-star Shannen Doherty (aka Brenda Walsh) wasn’t afraid to give her two cents about a plot line “even if it meant sounding like a complete and utter bitch…Poor Tori, the youngest of the three of us was, inevitably, often caught in the middle and she was always trying to smooth things over, trying to get Shan and me off each other’s backs and get along, but her efforts usually failed.”
Need some help loosening your tongue in honor of “National Honesty Day”? We’ve got just the thing. Jennie Garth’s mojito recipe—a fun alternative to tequila at your Cinco de Mayo celebration—is a guaranteed icebreaker (and stress reliever). Shaken with coconut cream and topped off with lemon-lime soda, Garth’s refreshing take on the traditional minty cocktail is the perfect spring or summer drink.
Jennie Garth’s Coconut Mojitos
Ingredients
8 mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
1/4 cup coconut rum
2 tablespoons sour mix
1 tablespoon coconut cream, such as Coco Lopez
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
1/4 cup club soda
Directions
1. Place mint leaves and 3 lime wedges in a cocktail shaker and muddle.
2. Add rum, sour mix and coconut cream, then fill shaker with ice.
3. Close and shake well.
4. Strain mixture into a glass, and top with lemon-lime soda and club soda.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge.