Despite divorce, Tia Mowry considers her 14-year marriage a success: 'Life is short'

Tia Mowry isn't mourning her marriage as a loss. Rather, she's celebrating what it brought to her life.

"I was able to create, with Cory, some beautiful, amazing children," the actor said Wednesday on the "Today" show. Mowry — who announced in early October that she and actor Cory Hardrict were calling it quits after 14 years as husband and wife — believes marriages should be measured by their successes, not their longevity.

"At the end of the day, are [the kids] happy, are they thriving ... I feel like that is most important," the "Sister, Sister" actor said.

Mowry said the deaths of her grandmother and her sister's niece presaged her split from Hardrict as she got the message that life is short. She began to focus on herself, and found "this sadness."

“There was just an 'aha' moment in me where I said, ‘You know what? We need to tap in, see what’s really going on with your happiness. Life is short. Let’s go. Let’s start working on you and really focusing on what really, really matters here, which is at the end of the day, your peace, your joy and your happiness,'" she told hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush.

There was one other thing that helped her decide to change her life.

"I was in therapy as well," Mowry said. "I'm a huge fan of therapy."

Mowry and Hardrict met while shooting the 2005 movie "Hollywood Horror" with Tamera Mowry-Housley, Tia's twin sister and frequent co-star. Hardrict and Mowry got engaged on Christmas Day 2006 and married two years later. Their children, son Cree and daughter Cairo, are 11 and 4 years old.

"I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different," Mowry wrote in announcing the split Oct. 4 on Instagram. "I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways. These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children. I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.