Chad Lowe once admitted how ex-wife Hilary Swank made him feel ‘terrible’. Did her success kill the marriage? Two-time Oscar winner hinted what went wrong: ‘When I found…’

Actor-director Chad Lowe has been in the news since news of his daughter Fiona Hepler Lowe passing away at 13 hit headlines. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that the youngster died by suicide and in the hospital. The news of her tragic demise has turned the spotlight on the Emmy-winning actor’s life. Chad was once married to two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, who is known for movies such as Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby. Lowe and Swank were married from 1997 to 2007. They met on the sets of Quiet Days in Hollywood. In 2006, they announced their separation and in 2007, they finalised their divorce.

While neither of the couple really revealed what caused the end of their marriage, in a Vanity Fair interview, The Homesman actress hinted that Lowe’s substance abuse took a toll on their relationship.

“I knew something was happening, but I didn't know what. When I found out, it was such a shock because I never thought he'd keep something from me. And yet, on another level, it was a confirmation of something I was feeling that was keeping us from being completely solid. When I found out, I wanted to be there. I knew it was the most important time of his life. That's when he needed me most,” she explained.


She said that this discovery made her reconsider the relationship. “I don't want to make it seem like that's the sole reason; there were other factors. But that just kind of blew it open. It made me look at things a lot deeper. That's when you realise it's not going to work… It's an enormous obstacle to overcome, and he's doing it. He's living a sober life. I know how difficult it is, and I'm really proud of his sobriety,” she said.

She also dismissed rumours of her success affecting their relationship and said that he had always been rather supportive. “He is, I think, genuinely happy for my success… I think that any frustration for him stemmed from the lack of opportunities in his own career,” she stated.

In the podcast Still Here Hollywood, Lowe recalled how his former wife looked horrified when she failed to thank him in her thank you speech after she won an Oscar for Boys Don’t Cry in 2000. Lowe said he felt "terrible", but not for himself, but for her.

“The look of terror and horror on her face as they were basically ushering her off, because she recognized that she didn't... I felt so bad for her. I didn't even really think about it from my perspective. I just felt so terrible for her."

Lowe said that he did not feel unappreciated or overlooked. He revealed he later told her she didn’t need to thank him. Swank won an Oscar again, five years later, for the sports drama Million Dollar Baby.

Lowe later married producer Kim Painter in 2010. They had three daughters. Fiona was their second child. Swank is now married to entrepreneur Philip Schneider, and they have twins - a boy and a girl.

Charles Davis "Chad" Lowe II is the younger brother of the actor Rob Lowe. He received an Emmy Award for his role as a young man with HIV in the show Life Goes On. He has played in a few different shows over the years, like ER, Melrose Place, and Now and Again. Lowe played the role of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Reed Pollock in the sixth season of 24, and also portrayed Byron Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars.