Abbie Cornish has opened up about the start of her romance with Ryan Phillippe, branding the period "really difficult" because of the press attention surrounding their controversial relationship.
The Australian star was quickly thrust into the spotlight after she began dating the actor, amid rumours they were conducting an affair while Phillippe was still married to Reese Witherspoon.
And it was a struggle for Cornish to come to terms with her immediate rise to fame while trying to establish her Hollywood career.
She says, "It was a really difficult time for me. It was just this world of tabloid magazines that I'd never been exposed to.
"In a normal successful career, someone usually learns these things bit by bit. For me, it was like night and day.
"I woke up one day and there was this whole new thing I had to process and deal with."
The 27 year old now admits she has adjusted to her new life in the U.S. with Phillippe, adding, "I guess I was lucky because it was love that brought me here (Los Angeles), not work. I think the city feels and looks a little bit different because of that."
Phillippe and Witherspoon called time on their marriage in 2006 after seven years of marriage. Together they have two children, Ava and Decon, of whom they share custody.
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