Almost a month after announcing his divorce from wife Rochelle, Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean revealed that he is working on his “demons.”
The 45-year-old singer announced in late March that he was separating from his 41-year-old wife after 12 years of marriage, though he insisted it was “temporary.”
The singer was at the LAX airport on Monday, where he revealed that he and Rochelle “talk every day.”
“We do our best to be the best version of ourselves we can, and to be the best husband and wife we possibly can to each other,” McLean added.
“This is a journey of self-examination, for me. I’ve never really done this journey since I got sober, and now is my time,” said the singer, who has been clean for almost two years.
Demons: Nearly a month after announcing his divorce from wife Rochelle, Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean revealed he’s working on his ‘demons’
Breaking up: The 45-year-old singer announced in late March that he was separating from his 41-year-old wife after 12 years of marriage, though he insisted it was ‘temporary’
“I’m a little late, 45 years old, but better late than never. I love my wife, I love my family, I love my kids and I just want us to be happy and be the best versions of ourselves,” McLean said.
The singer shares two daughters with Rochelle, and when asked if he hopes to rekindle his romance with Rochelle, McLean said: “Not really going back to where we were, but being in a better place because where we were, may not necessarily have been the best place. I want us to be in the best place.’
When asked if being on the road affects his relationship with his wife, he said it affects his relationship with his children even more.
“It affects my poor children. They miss me, and now that they’re older, they really know what I’m doing,” McLean continued.
He added that he dropped them off at school that morning and that he was “a babbling brook,” adding that it’s “getting harder for my kids, but my wife and I know how this works.”
“I talk to my family several times a day, every day when I’m gone, and that will never change,” he admitted.
When asked how he would improve himself, McLean said, “We have a therapist together and I’m working on my 12-step program. I stay down to earth and just focus on myself and really what I need to do to be the best version I can.”
“This is a great opportunity for me to finally do this now and focus on myself. That’s what all the drinking and drugs were for years, I didn’t want to deal with my own demons, and now I’m dealing with it,” McLean clarified.
Best: ‘I’m a little late, 45 years old, but better late than never. I love my wife, I love my family, I love my kids and I just want us to be happy and be the best versions of ourselves,” McLean said.
Family: The singer shares two daughters with Rochelle, and when asked if he hopes to rekindle his romance with Rochelle, McLean said, “Not really going back to where we were, but being in a better place because where we are were may not necessarily have been the best place. I want us to be in the best place’
The couple announced their separation last month, although they insisted that they have no plans to divorce but want to ‘work on themselves’.
“Marriage is hard, but worth it. We have mutually decided to part ways temporarily to work on ourselves and our marriage in hopes of building a stronger future,” he told the outlet.
“The plan is to get back together and continue to cherish our love for each other and our family. We ask for respect and privacy at this time.”
“Divorce is hard enough without comment, please be kind and remember there are children involved,” the statement concluded.
The couple, who share two daughters, married in 2011 after six years of dating.
AJ and Rochelle, makeup artist and hair stylist, met in October 2001.
The duo started dating in 2006, when the singer proposed to her on his birthday – January 9, 2010.
They were married on December 17, 2011 at the Beverly Hills hotel in the presence of his Backstreet Boys bandmates.
Divorce: The couple announced their separation last month, though they insisted they have no plans to divorce, but want to “work on themselves.”
Married: They were married on December 17, 2011 at the Beverly Hills hotel in the presence of his Backstreet Boys bandmates