Over 20 years after their relationship ended, “Friends” star Matthew Perry revealed why he broke it off with “Pretty Woman” star Julia Roberts — after just two months — all those years earlier.
Perry, 53, addressed the topic in his soon-to-be-released memoir titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” — which hits shelves on November 1 — and revealed that his own insecurities had been the driving force that caused him to put an end to the relationship.
The “Whole Nine Yards” star said that despite the fact that he was starring in a hugely popular sitcom at the time, he still felt like Roberts was “slumming” when she chose to go out with him. “Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me,” he said.
“Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts,” Perry continued, adding that he couldn’t “begin to describe the look of confusion on her face” when he called it quits.
The actor, who struggled for decades with the substance abuse problems that almost killed him, said that he was always afraid when he was in relationships — he never knew who really valued him and who might only be dating him because of his money and fame.
“That was me afraid,” Perry told PEOPLE Magazine, explaining that he was almost always the one to end relationships. “That is what I manifest, something that’s wrong with them. And then I break up with them … But there can’t be something wrong with everyone. I’m the common denominator. I left first because I thought they were going to annihilate me.”
The “Friends” star, now 18-months sober, said that he has overcome the fear and is looking forward to possibly having a family.
“I’m not afraid of love anymore, so the next girl I go out with better watch out,” adding that he’s confident he could be a good father. “I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”
WATCH Roberts’ “Friends” cameo: