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Rob Lowe reveals how he reconnected with wife after kids left for college

Rob Lowe opened up about life as an empty nester and how he defies the aging process.
/ Source: TODAY

Rob Lowe might be an actor, comedian, six-time Golden Globe nominee and all around Hollywood legend, but at heart he’s just a dad getting used to being an empty nester.

“I’m on the tail end of raising two boys,” Lowe told TODAY Monday.

The "Grinder" star first sent his son Matthew off to Duke (which he described in an emotional essay for Slate in 2014), and last year his younger son, John, began studies at Stanford.

“Academics have always been a big part of our worldview as parents,” he added. “But, it’s still hard.”

And like all parents, Lowe had some advice to his sons before heading to school.

"This is the time you should find your passion,” the actor, who spoke with us at a Crest Healthier Smiles Project event in New York City, told his sons. “This is what this era in your life is about. Finding the things you don’t like is equally as important as finding things you do like. This is that moment, so throw it all up against the wall and see what sticks.”

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While Lowe was “emotionally blindsided” by having his sons leave home, there was a positive side to the heartbreak.

“What’s amazing is I'm looking at my wife going ‘I remember you. I used to really like you,’” said Lowe of Sheryl Berkoff, his wife of 25 years. “We liked to travel and go to the movies and dinner and talk. All of the sudden, it’s reminding me of what it was like when we were first together. We both have time to fulfill our other destinies and get to know each other in a totally different way.”

Rob Lowe opened up about reconnecting with wife Sheryl Berkoff
Sheryl Berkoff and Rob Lowe have been married for 25 years.Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The star might be entering a new stage in his life, but he amazingly has barely aged since starting his career as a teen. His secret?

“Part of it is genetics and part of it is healthy choices, which include taking care of myself in ways that some guys don’t,” said the 52-year-old. “I don’t drink alcohol at all, which is a big thing. And I’m training like a maniac; I go nuts if I’m not doing something physical.”

Those healthy choices also involve using beauty products. “A good moisturizer and sunscreen are No. 1,” said Lowe, who created the skincare company Profile.

“Then for guys in their 30s and 40s, a great under eye de-puffer is key. I usually carry my own version of it in my pocket. It’s the No. 1 thing you can do to take eight years off your appearance to look bright and fresh and alive instantly.”