Peter Facinelli - Peter Facinelli: Divorce Is Painful

Peter Facinelli: Divorce Is Painful

Peter Facinelli admits his divorce from Jennie Garth has been ''painful''.

The 38-year-old 'Twilight' star - who has daughters Luca, 14, Lola, nine, and five-year-old Fiona with the former 'Beverly Hills, 90210' actress - says the split has taken its toll emotionally.

He said: ''It's very painful to break up with somebody, especially after you've been together for 17 years and have kids. It's even more painful when it's played out in the media.

''I've tried to stay really quiet about it for the sake of my kids.''

Peter - who met Jennie on the set of 1996 TV movie 'An Unfinished Affair' - filed for divorce on March 28, but insists he will always have a good Bond with the mother of his children.

Appearing on US show 'Live! With Kelly', he said: ''Jen and I are doing really well. She'll always be in my life. I love her, we're just going to have a different relationship.''

He continued: ''We're very dedicated to being great parents.''

Jennie, 39, previously admitted she did not want to separate initially, although she now believes it was the right thing.

She said: ''At first, I wanted to say that [our marriage] is not working for him and he's the one that's not happy.

''But when I really looked into how I was feeling, I could see it was the best thing for both of us. I didn't want to admit it, because I didn't want to let him go.''