Chad Lowe Opens Up About His Divorce

(CBS)  Chad Lowe opened up about his split with actress Hillary Swank on "Extra" Monday night.

The actor, who has joined the cast of the FOX thriller "24," said "it has been a tough year, it's been a very tough year, and not something that I expected - it's very humbling."

Lowe and Swank announced their split in January. Swank revealed in the August issue of Vanity Fair that the break-up was due in part to a "substance abuse" problem he battled for three years. "I was disappointed that details of our relationship became kind of public fodder," he said of the article. "I've been sober for three and a half years, and I'm very grateful for that."

Lowe said he was grateful for Swank's support throughout his addiction. "The one thing I do want to set straight is that I'm so grateful to Hilary for her support of me in a very difficult time in my life three and a half years ago. What hurt me more than anything is that people would think that she wasn't there for me, and she was," he said.

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He spoke fondly of their marriage, which lasted nearly nine years. "She was the love of my life, that's not something you just shove off. I will always love her," he said.

Lowe added that it's not likely that the two will reconcile, "not in a marital sense, I'm very happy with my life where it is now."