Anthony Scaramucci and wife Deidre Ball
On the brink of splitting in 2017, the former Trump adviser and wife Deidre Ball open up about reviving their seven-year romance
(in NYC on Oct. 9) tell Us how they saved their marriage.
Anthony Scaramucci knows he’s often at fault. “I mishandle a lot, obviously,” he tells Us. “I have made tons of mistakes in my life.” Perhaps none more serious than in 2017. Appointed White House communications director on July 21 of that year, Scaramucci was away in West Virginia with President Trump when his estranged wife, Deidre Ball, 38, went into labor on July 24. By July 31, his new gig had exploded in a storm of controversy — and so had his three-year marriage. “So what are you going to do?” the 54-year-old says. “You have to do two things in life when you make a mistake: Admit it, then ask people to forgive you.” Luckily for him, Ball — mom of his kids, Nicholas, 4, and James, 15 months — listened and called off their divorce in November. “Maybe I stopped being happy,” she recalls. “But I never stopped being in love.” Now, stronger than ever, Scaramucci and Ball sit down with Us’ Jennifer Peros.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you meet?
DB We met in 2007.
AS At work. We didn’t get together until 2011.
Before the White House, was there tension in your marriage?
DB We were fighting about so much.
AS The typical things you fight about: in-laws, stress, work.
DB Kids. He has a lot going on, and a lot of times it’s hard to be a mom and his right-hand person. Sometimes you wind up not seeing each other’s point of view. Plus, it’s very hard to do things when you’re pregnant and have another young kid. And when you don’t sleep, you get really nasty!
Deidre, what was your reaction when he told you about the job?
AS Doesn’t make me look good, this part of the story.
DB If we are going talk about it, we have to be real. We were so mad at each other. He didn’t tell me he got the job. It was a CNN news alert. I didn’t tell him I was in labor. We’re even, right? Things got out of control. We weren’t really speaking.
What was rock bottom?
DB I never intended to have a child on my own. That was one of my worst days. I never thought I would be there without Anthony.
AS Even if she’d told me, I was in West Virginia with a 60-mile no-fly zone around the president’s plane. There would’ve been no way to get back to New York. It was a very bad day. The truth of the matter is, I love Deidre tremendously, and I wanted to get back together.
Anthony, you asked for a paternity test for James. Why?
AS It’s something I’m regretful for, and I’ve apologized for it, and the good news is that Deidre has forgiven me for it.
DB You wake up in the
morning, and I’m like, “Did this guy really do that?”
So, what changed?
DB He came to his senses. He texted me, “Can we talk?” We exposed all the stuff that went on, talked about it ad nauseam.
AS The question is, Do you drop your pride and try to make it work? You can be at each other’s throats but still love each other.
Today, how is your marriage stronger than ever before?
DB I like us more now. We’re less quick to be mad or annoyed. I think we are way more equal.
AS What we got out of that experience is that, start with a glass half full, recognize all the special things and make it work. Also, you have to be honest with each other and accept each other’s ups and downs.
Anthony, what’s your relationship like with the president?
AS It’s there. We don’t talk regularly. He may call me for something, or if I needed something from him, I’d very easily call him. Even if you don’t like President Trump, I think everyone should take a step back and say, “Hey, he’s our president, and we want him to do well.” We have to root for the president.
When your sons get older, what will you tell them?
AS The search for a perfect past is an impossibility. You can’t re-create your past, just own it and move on.
DB Don’t google us!