Joey Lawrence reveals how he won back wife Samantha Cope after her divorce filing and THOSE affair rumors
When asked about his decision to repair his marriage, the Melissa and Joey star, 49, urged others not to 'give up' without a fight.
'I think it's too easy,' he explained of why they got back together. 'As much you don't want to take an easy way out, or you think this will be the fix—it's not always the case. I just didn't want to do that. And she didn't either.'
Ultimately, he said they both came to the realization: 'Wait a minute. There's something so special here.'
'Things take a lot of work and a lot of dedication and reworking and retooling,' the father-of-three continued. 'That's life, though.'
Lawrence went on to stress: 'That's life, though. As brothers, with your parents, with friends, in business, that's it. Everything takes so much work. Whatever it is, just don't give up, because you never know.'
Last August, it was revealed that Cope had filed for divorce from Lawrence.
She requested that both she and her estranged husband not receive any spousal support.
She cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split, and also asked for full custody of their daughter.
Cope stated in documents obtained by Us Weekly that she will allow Dylan to stay with Joey two nights a week when she turns three.
But in regards to Joey having extended visits with their daughter, Samantha stated that she wants to wait until Dylan is 'older and can consent to such visits.'
Not long after she filed, Lawrence was accused of having an affair with his co-star and fellow actress, Melina Alves. The pair are set to appear in the upcoming film, Socked In For Christmas.
In documents obtained by TMZ, Melina's estranged husband, Edward Rider - who filed for divorce in July - claimed that he discovered Alves and Lawrence were having an affair earlier this year in March.
The affair allegedly took place in California as well as 'at various other times and places,' Rider claimed.
At the time, a source told People that Lawrence 'love-bombed' Alves - which was something that he also did with Cope.
'Joey met Melina Alves on the set of their movie, where she was a producer,' the insider explained. Melina is also the writer and took on the role of Addy in the upcoming holiday flick,' the insider claimed.
They also alleged he 'continued to date Melina even after Samantha found out about it and confronted him.'
The source also expressed that Cope had wanted to attend marriage counseling, but Joey 'fooled their counselor' and would still 'get ready for dates with Melina while Sam watched, bawling her eyes out.'
Cope and Lawrence first crossed paths in 2020 while on set of the Lifetime movie titled, My Husband's Secret Brother.
The former couple became engaged in 2021, and said 'I do' the following year in 2022 during a ceremony held at the Temecula Creek Inn in California.
At the time, Cope told People that her courtship with Lawrence was speedy: 'From day one, it was such a safe place to be myself. Two weeks in, I was like, "I will be with you forever."'
She added, 'When you meet the right person, if you're lucky enough, it cuts to the chase so quick. I have somebody who is like-minded and has the same love language, and we communicate the same way. That's super important. And I am so thankful.'
In January 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter, Dylan Rose, to the world.
The Blossom actor was also previously married to Michelle Vella from 2002 through 2005.
He later tied the knot with Chandie Yawn-Nelson in 2005 but the pair's divorce was finalized in 2022. They share daughters Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14.
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