In fact, when Ashley was competing on The Bachelor, she bonded with Brad Womack over the fact that they both had problems with their dads. She told Brad about her father’s battle with alcohol and how he was once homeless. When Ashley was filming The Bachelor, she didn’t even know where her dad was — but a few months later, she was reunited with Greg during a very “emotional” visit!
Ashley’s mother Laurie and her father divorced in 1991, a source tells HollywoodLife.com. And as the years passed, the addiction separated Greg from his family.
“Gregory has had a hard battle with alcohol through the years, and of course it affected his relationship with Ashley, her siblings Chrystie and Eliot, and their mom Laurie, his ex-wife,” a friend tells Star magazine. “At times, he’s had to live in shelters and go to rehab.”
But his battle continued and landed him with multiple run-ins with the law from 2004-2007 for instances like drinking in public. “Those were the darkest days for Gregory,” says the friend. “But his love for his kids kept him going.”
In 2008, Greg finally got his act together with the help of Milestone Foundation — a substance abuse treatment program in Maine.
And just a few months ago, Ashley visited her father! “It was very emotional — for both of them,” says the friend.
But Greg himself is glad that Ashley is back in his life. “My story is about strength and hope,” he says. “I believe in my daughter so much. [And] the one thing I can say is that my daughter is a great woman who has direction in her life, and my relationship with her will last longer than any television program.”
“At heart, Gregory is a good man, and he’s struggled to get his act together,” says the friend. “Now he’s been rewarded by his stronger connection with Ashley.”
– Lindsey DiMattina
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