Tia Mowry stopped dating because the men she met had held on to an "infatuation" from her 'Sister, Sister' days.
The 46-year-old actress split from Cory Hardrict - with whom she has Cree, 16, and six-year-old Cairo - in 2023 after 15 years of marriage and while she had explored looking for love again, she's now put "a little bit of a pause" on her quest to find a partner as she wants to find someone who cares about who she is away from the spotlight.
She told Us Weekly magazine: “I put a little bit of a pause on dating at the moment, because you don’t really know why someone is dating you.
"When it becomes very clear on why someone is dating you through their behaviours, it’s disappointing.
“I’ve realised that some people are attracted because there was some sort of infatuation growing up — you know, ‘Oh, this is the girl from 'Sister, Sister'. “It’s like, ‘Nah. I want you to know me and love me when the makeup comes off.’”
But Tia - who starred in 'Sister, Sister' alongside her twin Tamera from 1994 to 1999 - knows finding the right person takes a lot of time.
She said: "You have to kiss a lot of frogs to get to your prince and that could be exhausting at times. That’s the reality of dating.”
The 'Baggage Claim' actress knows exactly what she wants in her next partner, particularly that they are willing to work on themselves.
She said: “There has to be awareness of their traumas [and] triggers. They have to have emotional intelligence, kindness, accountability and love for oneself.
“I’m not looking for someone perfect at all, but I do want my partner to be in therapy, and I do want my partner to be working on growth.
“I am dedicated to becoming the person that I want [to be], so I want my partner to be doing the work as well.”
Tia can next be seen shining a spotlight on her post-divorce life in 'Tia Mowry: My Next Act' and she hopes fans can learn from her openness.
She said: “You cannot expect to inspire or even to heal yourself if you’re closed off. The main focus that I really want to put a spotlight on is mental health.”
