"I called John McEnroe and said, 'You need to take the kids'" - When American legend came to ex-wife Tatum O'Neal's aid amid her drug addiction
John McEnroe's ex-wife, Oscar-winning actress Tatum O'Neal, once made an honest admission about her difficult battle with severe drug addiction. O'Neal also opened up about how McEnroe stepped in to take care of their children during her ordeal.
O'Neal, who made history as the youngest person to win an Academy Award for her performance in 'Paper Moon' at age 10, married tennis legend McEnroe in 1986. The couple had three children together, Kevin, Sean, and Emily, before their divorce in 1994.
Although the couple initially shared joint custody of their children, John McEnroe was granted sole custody in 1998 due to Tatum O'Neal's addiction to heroin. The turning point came when their seven-year-old daughter Emily came across a syringe in O'Neal's bedroom, which the actress described as hitting "rock bottom."
In a 2004 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Tatum O'Neal revealed that the unfortunate incident compelled her to seek help. She reached out to McEnroe and asked him to take sole responsibility for their children so she could seek treatment.
"That's what happens when you're in the disease of addiction. That's when you know that you need help and that's when I called John [McEnroe], and I said, 'You need to take the kids, and I need to get help.' … And it wasn't the first treatment and I went to many more after that," O'Neal said.
O'Neal also disclosed that while John McEnroe was the primary caregiver for their children, she saw them over the weekends and had developed close relationships with them. However, she expressed remorse about exposing their kids to her drug addiction, confessing that she wished she could've given them a "perfect" childhood.
"They're very close to me. I've never lost their desire to be with me or their love for me at all. … Of course, I'll always wish I could un-ring the bell and make their life growing up perfect," she added.
John McEnroe's ex-wife Tatum O'Neal on their relationship: "We're still deep into a psychic drama"
During the same interview, John McEnroe's ex-wife Tatum O'Neal shed light on her relationship with the former World No. 1 since their divorce. O'Neal disclosed that despite being separated for 10 years, they were still embroiled in a "psychic drama" and had difficulty communicating.
The actress also credited their three children for acting as mediators between her and McEnroe and took pride in how well they all turned out.
"We're divorced 10 years and it's still a long story because we're still deep into a psychic drama, he and I. It's a very difficult communication, through our kids, you know, and God bless how well they've turned out," O'Neal said.
Tatum O'Neal has since admitted that being married to John McEnroe was the happiest time in her life but emphasized that she was glad to see him "happier" in his life with his wife Patty Smyth and their family.