Kelly Rutherford has opened up for the first time since losing a long custody battle over her two children, trying to remain positive despite a difficult ordeal.
"Children need both parents," she told the Romanian edition of Elle magazine in a cover story. "You do not want to make them suffer. I hope that this story be an example to others. Now, I want them to be happy, to know that they are loved. No matter how long it takes this, I want them to know the truth."
The latest ruling in a six-year custody battle between the former "Gossip Girl" actress and ex-husband Daniel Giersch came in late November when a Monaco judge gave him full custody. The children had been living in Monaco with Giersch since 2012 and coming to the United States for visits with Rutherford.
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The latest action occurred after a New York judge ordered the children back to Europe to live with their father on Aug. 11. The children had spent part of this past summer in New York with Rutherford, who initially refused to send them back to Giersch as previously agreed.
Rutherford, whose own parents are divorced, feels she needs to stay positive for her children.
"I know that if I find my peace, they will benefit," she told Elle. "I talk about love because I hope that is what will make them stronger. When all this is over, I hope that they will look back and have the impression that it was not as bad as it was, actually. I do not want them to feel everything. There are good people and generous and funny."
A Los Angeles judge gave Rutherford full custody over her children in May 2015, but in July, another California judge declared the state did not have jurisdiction. Shortly after that announcement, a judge in New York also said his state does not have jurisdiction. A court in Monaco had taken over jurisdiction in 2014.
Rutherford is hoping her case can raise awareness of international custody disputes. She continues to do work for the Children's Justice Campaign, which fights injustices in the American family court system.
"Perhaps activists will increase because of this situation," she said. "I hope that something good will come of it."
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