Jennie Garth Says It Was 'Very Difficult' When Ex Peter Facinelli Introduced Their Girls to His New Partner

The '90210' alum spoke about her co-parenting relationship with Facinelli on her podcast 'I Choose Me'

Jennie Garth is looking back on how hard it was for her when her ex-husband Peter Facinelli introduced their daughters to his new girlfriend after their divorce.

In this week's episode of her podcast I Choose Me, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 52, spoke with Facinelli, 50, about their co-parenting relationship, addressing how it was for both of them when the other would introduce their daughters to a new partner.

Facinelli and Garth share three girls — Luca, 26, Lola, 21, and Fiona, 17.

“Let’s talk about briefly step-parents. Bringing in another person to the mix. We did that. Not initially — neither of us got married right away. But we both had a few relationships, left and right, and the girls would get close…I know with, from my perspective, your relationship after we were divorced," Garth begins.

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Related: Jennie Garth Says She Initially 'Emotionally Regretted' Not Fighting for More Custody with Ex Peter Facinelli

"The girls got close with your then-girlfriend. And that was very, very, very, very difficult for me," she admits. "I wondered how you felt when another guy came in. I don’t think I ever was really serious with anybody until Dave," she continues, referencing her husband Dave Abrams.

Facinelli says it was a "Catch-22" for him, noting that he dated his partner for longer and it was hard to see his daughters process the loss of another parental figure.

"That I had nothing to do to help that or not have that happen, it’s what happened and I felt bad having them be an effect of that because I was with that person for a few years," Facinelli says. "And then on your side, you were having people come into their lives and then kind of leaving in shorter spurts."

The dad of three says he watched his daughters go on vacations with Garth's partners, whom he says tended to be around for less time.

"And you’d be like, I think this person is safe enough to introduce them and then…so they’d have these shorter amounts of, this guy that they’d get to know. And for me, it was like I just kind of had to trust you. I had to go, 'Ok well she trusts this person, then I have to trust them,' " he says.

"I never felt jealous of another person coming in because I always felt that the more love that the kids had, the better," Facinelli continues. "I was never in competition to go, ‘Well, I’m the dad here!’ I think it was harder on you for that, being the mom, watching another person come in, but for me I was like…When Dave came in, I was like ‘He’s a wonderful guy.’"

Facinelli says that it makes him "smile" that his daughters had another figure that loves them so much and notes that they're incredibly lucky to have so many people on their team.

"I don’t look at it like it’s a burden that they have to carry for the rest of their lives of this divorce. I really look at it like, ‘Wow, they’re incredibly fortunate to have had now these stepparents that they’ve gotten to know, that have added to their personalities, that they’ve grown through them as well,' " he says.

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