The 'Bring It On' star describes her first marriage as 'dysfunctional from day one'. Photo: AFP
Gabrielle Union regrets her first marriage, but not necessarily the infidelity.
Union, 50, appeared on Monday's (Jan 2) episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, and the two discussed cheating in their earlier relationships.
The Bring It On star described her first marriage to former NFL player Chris Howard as "dysfunctional from day one." The pair wed in 2001 and divorced in 2006.
"I definitely was not getting wife of the year awards," Union said. "In my first marriage, neither one of us felt like the marriage should get in the way of our dating."
She added that part of her infidelity was because Howard was also allegedly cheating – the other part was her ideology on power dynamics in relationships.
"I just felt entitled to it as well. I was paying all the bills.... Like my dad before me, whoever has the most gets to do whatever the hell they want," she said.
Shepard, who is currently married to actress Kristen Bell, shared that he was previously in an open relationship for nine years, and that while he regrets some of his actions during that time, he doesn't regret it all.
In response, Union told him, "I wish I had more guilt for some of that."
"It was such a stupid relationship that should have never got out of the dating phase," she said of the marriage.
A friend gifted Union and Howard a therapy session and the therapist recommended they separate because they had "nothing in common," the actress recalled.
Union also remembered the therapist telling the pair, "The one thing you guys have in common is other people so why don't you just be with other people?"
Looking back, the Bad Boys II star said she was looking for "validation" from people of a certain stature.
Union has been married to former NBA player Dwyane Wade since 2014.
The couple share daughter Kaavia James, 3. Wade is also dad to son Zaire, 20, daughter Zaya, 15, and son Xavier Zechariah, 9, from previous relationships. – USA Today/Tribune News Service
Gabrielle Union has been married to former NBA player Dwyane Wade since 2014. Photo: AFP
