Ashlyn Harris is opening up about the love and support she receives from girlfriend Sophia Bush.
On the latest episode of the Second Wind Podcast, the former USWNT player, 39, reflected on how the One Tree Hill alum, 42, has helped her to heal following her 2023 split from ex-wife Ali Krieger, with whom she shares two kids — daughter Sloane, 4, and son Ocean, 2.
“What I love so much about her is she makes me feel the way I only thought we read about in books,” Harris said of Bush, whom she started dating in October 2023. “She holds up a mirror and makes me feel like I’m the best human, I’m the best mother, and it’s exactly what I needed and what I need to heal so much pain and trauma and grief in my life.”
Related: Ashlyn Harris and Girlfriend Sophia Bush Cuddle with the Soccer Star’s 2 Kids in Rare Photos: ‘Found My Refuge’
“I think as a mom, we all can sit here and say, we always think we’re failing … I made a promise that my kids wouldn’t feel the same kind of pain that I did as a kid and I put a lot of pressure on myself, and she’s just like, you are the best mom,” she continued. “I just have never seen someone move and act the way you do.”
The former athlete added that the pair found each other amid personal turmoil. “And it’s this type of reassurance that she came into my life when I was an open wound and she’s so selfless and such a beautiful person that even in the hardest season of her life, she wants to help me heal, which is something I’ll never forget,” she added, seemingly referring to Bush’s divorce from entrepreneur Grant Hughes after 13 months of marriage in August 2023.
Harris said she hoped to be that “same version” for Bush, adding, “I think it’s impossible for us to work so much on ourselves and heal all of the trauma and pain we’ve experienced, but when you meet the right person, they won’t weaponize that against you. They meet you.”
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From left: Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush at Cannes Lions 2024 on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.
Related: Ashlyn Harris Shares First Photo of Girlfriend Sophia Bush with Her Kids Sloane and Ocean as They Enjoy Day at Disneyland
The soccer star shared that she felt she had found a partner in Bush who would be with her through thick and thin.
“I felt like she just sat with me in the pain and was like, okay, well just when you’re ready to walk through it, I’ll be right here with you and it’s such a selfless act of kindness and understanding,” she said. “I met the most incredible human in the world who doesn’t see my pain and scars as an issue. She sees it as a superpower, and she’s showing and teaching me every day to use it in such a way that heals and helps other people, that I have an incredible gift to be not only a parent, but the way I show up for people.”
“She’s just made my life so much richer. I don’t even know how to express it or articulate it,” she concluded.
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Bush returned to the praise in a sweet birthday Instagram post in October, describing the soccer player as “the sun, in human form.”
“You light up the world and warm each and every person you touch. There is no one like you, and everyone who knows you knows it’s true.” she wrote.
“We are all so lucky. And I am the absolute luckiest. First of many together (You better live forever, woman, we have adventures to go on!),” she added. “Happy Birthday baby. I love you with my whole soul.”
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