David Duchovny is a US actor best known for playing Fox Mulder in the X-Files and Hank Moody in Californication – he has also starred in numerous films including Evolution, and The Goat Man. In 2008, David entered rehab for a sex addiction problem. This behaviour was destroying his relationships and harming his reputation, so he made the empowering decision to get help for his problem. One of the main motivations for getting help was his desire to save his marriage with Téa Leoni – they have two children together. The two divorced earlier this year, so some of his fans may be wondering if his treatment for sex addiction actually worked.
Did Sex Addiction Destroy David Duchovny’s Marriage
In a recent interview with Parade magazine, Téa Leoni claimed that, despite all that has happened as well as their divorce, the couple have always loved one another. She has no regrets about the marriage because it produced her two kids. Téa has also made it clear that she and David are still on good terms – she says that ‘he’s a good guy’ and she would never be able to hate him.
The grounds of the divorce of David and Téa is an ‘an irretrievable breakdown of the relationship’. Neither party is providing exact details of what happened, but it seems almost certain that David’s affairs played a significant part in the split. The fact that he obtained help for his sex addiction did allow their marriage to continue for a few years, but it was not possible to save the relationship long-term. The fact that the two are on such good terms does suggest that the decision to end the marriage was mutual.
Did Rehab Help David Duchovny?
Many online commentators were dubious when Duchovny decided to get help for his sex addiction. There is a lot of misinformation about this type of obsessive behaviour, and there have been fierce debates about whether it can truly be referred to as an addiction. This type of condition does differ from alcohol and drug addiction in many ways, but it does not mean that it cannot also be an addiction. There is no one definition of this problem, but sex addiction would qualify for the description of continuing to engage in a behaviour despite the obvious negative consequences of doing so.
David Duchovny spent three weeks in rehab back in 2008, and he did seem to have made a serious effort to change his behaviour. The reality is though that recovery can never be conditional on a certain type of outcome. Sex addiction causes a great deal of damage to relationships and, in many cases, this damage will be so great that it cannot be repaired. The goal of going to rehab should not be to manipulate others into continuing a relationship, but in helping the person avoid similar patterns of behaviour in the future. So David probably did benefit from his time in rehab even though it did not, ultimately, save his relationship.
The fact that David Duchovny and Téa Leoni are on such good terms does say a lot about his peace of mind. It may be that by dealing with his demons in rehab, it made it possible to salvage the relationship on one level – even though they are no longer going to be man and wife they can still be close friends. This ability to be on good terms with each other is particularly important as the pair share a couple of children. We hope that his time in rehab will also mean that he will be better able to manage his romantic interests in the future.
