Drew Barrymore moved to New York because she was determined to "carry on as a family" when she got divorced.
Drew Barrymore
The '50 First Dates' star dreamed of offering her children a "really stable home" so when things didn't work out between her and ex-husband Will Kopelman, she agreed to relocate away from Los Angeles to stay close to him because she thought that would be the best thing for their daughters Olive, eight, and seven-year-old Frankie.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey for her 'Your Life in Focus' virtual series, she said: "I thought when I had kids, I wanted this really stable home. Two parents was the goal.
"I ended up finding myself in divorce. Their dad moved to New York, I didn't want my children to be away from their father and I love his family. We're very close, and even though we had a divorce, we said, 'Let's not misstep. Let's just carry on like we are a family because we are a family.' "
"For the first time in my life I thought, I know what family is and I'm not giving up on that."
The 46-year-old star - who split from Will, 42, in April 2016 after four years of marriage - admitted living her Los Angeles home of 20 years made her feel like she'd given up on her "dream" of what a home should be.
She said: "It was the home I built for myself. I'd had it for 20 years. It was the home I swore would be my kids.
"It was as hard as the divorce itself... I was doubling down on the giving up of the dream."
But after moving away, the 'E.T.' actress has changed her idea of what home is.
She added: "I've now figured out what the definition of home is. It's wherever we are, it's wherever I am with my kids."
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