NEW YORK, Nov. 3 (UPI) — Rosie O’Donnell opened up about estranged daughter Chelsea O’Donnell on Monday.
The 53-year-old television personality discussed her teenage daughter with reporters at her annual Rosie’s Theater Kids gala. Chelsea left to live with her birth mother after turning 18 in August, and now lives in New York with friends.
Chelsea’s decision to move out came less than a week after she was discovered at the home of an alleged heroin dealer. The teenager had been missing for days, and O’Donnell told Us Weekly at the gala daughter’s struggles have affected their family for over a decade.
“It hasn’t been easy, but we love her very much, and we hope she’s safe and starts to make some better choices,” she said. “When a child turns 18, there’s nothing legally that a parent can do … so, we hope that she is safe, number one, and that she finds her way back home.”
O’Donnell previously cited Chelsea’s reported mental illness as a factor in her behavior. The teenager denied she is mentally ill in a recent interview with Inside Edition, and said she “cares” about O’Donnell but “wouldn’t really use” the word “love.”