Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp have largely kept quiet about their divorce, but recently Depp spoke a bit about the split and why he felt he needed to stay sober at such a trying time.

The couple have two children together, and the actor says that although the breakup was “unpleasant” for both he and Paradis, it was important to both of them to keep things on an even keel for the kids.

“In terms of the breakup, I definitely wasn’t going to rely on the drink,” he told ET. “I felt it was my duty to be real clear throughout that. I had something pretty serious to focus on, really, which was making sure that my kids were gonna be cool. They’ve been incredibly understanding, incredibly strong throughout the whole ordeal. And it’s hard on every side. You know, Vanessa’s side, certainly not easy. My side, not easy. The kids are the most complicated. The thing is, kiddies come first. You can’t shield them, because then you’d be lying. So you can at least be honest with your kids, and you say the absolute truth to your child — that was very important to not pussyfoot around.”

Depp and Paradis had been together since 1998 and split last June after shooting down rumors that their marriage was over. Living a life in the public eye, Depp says, was part of what made things so difficult.

“Relationships are very difficult,” he tells the magazine. “Especially in the racket that I’m in, because you’re constantly away or they’re away, and so it’s hard. It wasn’t easy on her. It wasn’t easy on me. It wasn’t easy on the kids. So, yeah. The trajectory of that relationship — you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. So for whatever reason that ceases, it doesn’t stop the fact that you care for that person, and they’re the mother of your kids, and you’ll always know each other, and you’re always gonna be in each other’s lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it.”