By Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter
Elizabeth Chambers has opened up about her divorce from Armie Hammer days after the US actor broke his silence following a series of abuse allegations.
In 2020, the couple announced they were splitting after 10 years of marriage, and in the following months accusations emerged over explicit messages Hammer, 36, allegedly sent on social media, and an accusation of rape by a woman in Los Angeles in March 2021.
Hammer, who vehemently denies all criminal allegations and entered rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse in May 2021, recently claimed in an interview with digital newsletter Air Mail that he would not undo the past two years.
#ElizabethChambers is ready to talk about it. In 2020, her decade-long marriage to actor #ArmieHammer ended and, well, let’s just say it, six months later he was called out for having cannibalistic fetishes, among a host of other allegations. https://t.co/Y707gvh7Mj
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) February 8, 2023
Chambers, who shares a daughter and son with Hammer, has now reflected on the lead-up and aftermath of their split in an interview with Elle magazine published on Wednesday.
She said: “I support Armie through his journey and I always will. All I’ve ever wanted is for him to be sober, healthy and happy. And he is that.
“He’s really present when he’s with the kids, and that’s all I can hope for. All you want is for your children to have two solid parents, right? That’s always the goal, so anything I can do to support that, I will.”
She also revealed that their marriage faced its final test when Hammer decided to leave Chambers and their children in the Cayman Islands and head back to California in the early days of the pandemic.
Chambers said: “My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport.
“You can give, you can love, you can be there for someone, but you also need to hold people accountable for their actions.”
The 40-year-old bakery founder said she learnt about the accusations against Hammer “as the public was”, adding: “I was like, ‘There are no words. What the f***?’”
Chambers did not comment on her ex-husband’s proclivities or their own sex life in the interview with Elle.
However, she reportedly told the magazine that “boundaries are everything” in a relationship.
“(Over time) your partner is learning things about themselves. They’re growing, you’re growing; you hope that you’re growing together”, she added.
Chambers is now focusing on moving past the relationship by writing a cookbook, working on a TV show, and dating a new 26-year-old European boyfriend who is helping heal “my body, my heart, and my mind”.
She added: “The last thing I ever want to do is let someone else’s actions, which have nothing to do with me, make me angry.
“It’s not going to help me, and it’s not going to help anyone around me.”
She also revealed that she has been doing sessions with a family separation therapist to help her children adjust to the divorce.
“Do I want my son to become this? Would I want my daughter to stay in a relationship like this?” she questioned in the interview.
“Obviously this is all way too much for two children under eight. One day, I want them to be able to say, ‘I am independent of whatever has happened in generations before. I’m aware of it, but I am the person I am not because of where I came from.’”
In September, a three-part Discovery+ series titled House Of Hammer, produced by Hammer’s aunt Casey Hammer, showed on-camera interviews with two of Hammer’s alleged victims in which they detailed some of their alleged abuse.
Hammer previously played the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network and starred opposite Timothee Chalamet in acclaimed drama Call Me By Your Name.
In the interview with Air Mail published on Saturday, Hammer claimed his interest in BDSM evolved from being sexually abused as a 13-year-old by a youth pastor for a period lasting nearly a year.
He claimed the sexual abuse he endured as a young boy “set a dangerous precedent in my life” resulting in his sexual interests becoming about being in control.
The actor added: “I’m now grateful for everything that’s happened to me. I’m now a healthier, happier, more balanced person. I’m able to be there for my kids in a way I never was.
“I’m truly grateful for my life and my recovery and everything. I would not go back and undo everything that’s happened to me.”
