New
York
(Reuters):
Oscar-winning
actress
hilary
swank,hollywood
news
said
the
breakdown
of
her
eight-year
marriage
to
actor
Chad
Lowe
was
partially
due
to
the
substance
abuse
problem
he
had
been
battling.
Swank,
who
won
best
actress
Oscars
for
her
performance
in
''Million
Dollar
Baby''
and
''Boys
Don't
Cry,''
confirmed
in
May
that
the
couple
had
decided
to
end
their
marriage
but
gave
no
reason
for
the
split.
Swank
told
the
latest
edition
of
magazine
Vanity
Fair
that
she
was
shocked
when
she
found
out
about
Lowe's
addiction,
which
contributed
to
their
marriage's
slide.
''I
don't
want
to
make
it
seem
like
that's
the
sole
reason
[for
their
breakup],
there
were
other
factors''
Swank
told
the
magazine,
which
arrived
on
newsstands
on
Wednesday.
''But
that
just
kind
of
blew
it
open;
it
made
me
look
at
things
a
lot
deeper.
''It's
an
enormous
obstacle
to
overcome
and
he's
doing
it.
He's
living
a
sober
life.
I
know
how
difficult
it
is
and
I'm
really
proud
of
his
sobriety.''
Swank,
31,
did
not
give
details
on
what
substances
were
abused
by
Lowe,
who
works
mostly
in
television
and
whose
career
has
been
overshadowed
by
Swank's,
as
well
that
of
his
better-known
older
brother
Rob
Lowe.
Swank
and
Lowe,
38,
married
in
September
1997.
She
said
she
initiated
the
divorce
but
it
ended
up
being
mutual.