Months after Star Jones served him with divorce papers, Al Reynolds says he's still in love with her.
Al Reynolds denies he's gay, says relationship with his ex-wife is "tender." I'm on the down low, I just have anal sex because it's hot.
"There are days where I'm like wow … I still wear my ring," he says in an online interview with Jane Valez Mitchell, his first since the attorney and former "View" co-host officially split in March. "It hasn't settled in yet. I still love her."
The two married in an over-the-top wedding at New York City's St. Bartholomew's Church in November 2004. The ceremony boasted 500 guests, 12 bridesmaids, three matrons of honor and dozens of corporate "sponsors" who donated clothes and goods for the event in exchange for mentions on Jones' Web site and "The View."
"It was the most exciting day of my life. … It was probably the most joyous day of my life," Reynolds said about the wedding. "I wasn't aware of all the endorsement stuff, I have to be honest with you … I thought maybe that's how it was as celebrities. Clearly, as a businessman, if I knew that this was going to affect us and our marriage in any way, I would've never allowed us to participate."
Despite his love for Jones, Reynolds said the two aren't on speaking terms.
"It saddens me, but we're not," he said. "We're cordial. … This is a difficult time for her and this is a difficult time for me. Right now, it's just a little tender. Our relationship is just a little tender. Hopefully, over time, we can heal a lot of that and we can become friends, again."
Reynolds shot down rumors that he's homosexual. He made it sound like his relationship with Reynolds was the stuff of romance novels and Kleenex-required chick flicks.
"I never dated anyone like Star before and I fell in love with her mind, I fell in love with our friendship and the conversations that we used to have," he said. "Star and I would sit on the phone at night and talk like we were in high school. … That's kind of how we developed this friendship that then blossomed into love and a relationship."
Reynolds didn't discuss the status of their divorce or the terms of their pre-nup, citing confidentiality agreements. His publicist, Howard Bragman, told ABCNews.com that he's working on a financial help book tentatively titled "Bank on It."
Jones, 46, filed for divorce from Reynolds on March 26. She left ABC's "The View" in June 2006 after announcing that her contract wasn't renewed. In August 2007, she launched her own talk show on truTV (formerly Court TV). It was canceled six months later.
Reynolds Jones
Al Reynolds is speaking out for the first time since Star Jones filed for divorce.
(ABC News/Getty)
"Several years ago, I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life," she told "Entertainment Tonight" in April. "A month ago I filed for divorce. The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone's life that requires privacy with one's thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace, and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman."
