Berry's mother, Judith (with Halle in L.A. in May), "is going to be so excited," says a pal. Photo by: Westley Hargrave / Splash news onlin |
Berry's happiness has been a long time coming. She and her older sister Heidi were just children when their late father, Jerome, an African-American, abandoned them, leaving their white mother, Judith Hawkins, a former nurse, to raise them alone in Cleveland. Though very close to her mom, Berry told
Ebony in 2000, "My whole life I've had the fear that I was going to be abandoned." Her 1993 marriage to baseball star David Justice didn't assuage that fear; they divorced in 1997, after she filed a restraining order against him. Four years later she married singer Eric Benét and formed a tight bond with his daughter India, now a teenager, only to divorce him in '03 after learning of his infidelity. At the time, she later told Oprah, "I had an emotional breakdown."
Through the tough times Berry leaned on her own mother – and became stronger. She told PEOPLE this year, "I won't have a traditional marriage; I don't see the value in that anymore. But I am such a hopeless romantic, and I really want love and I want a committed relationship." Finally, she found it with Aubry. "Gabriel has wanted to be a dad for a long time," says Bibeau. "He's got the right woman. They are the perfect match – made in heaven."
• By Karen S. Schneider. Jen Garcia, Amy Keith and Mary Margaret in Los Angeles and Kelly Carter, Sharon Cotliar and Lesley Messer in New York City
JOSH & FERGIE: ROCKED BY SCANDAL
Did he cheat with a stripper?
Married less than a year, the couple denies an Atlanta woman’s claims that she and Josh had a fling
Note that this week’s cover of PEOPLE may differ regionally
Save $1.00 off this week's issue.
Click here for coupon
