Rosie O’Donnell reveals sad reason she’s decided to flee the US with her daughter

Rosie O’Donnell has revealed why she left the US behind and has moved across the pond with her daughter.

The 62-year-old actor and former talk show host confirmed her relocation on Tuesday (11 March) and clarified that she and her 12-year-old daughter Dakota moved in January.

The timing of the move drew attention as it took place on 15 January, a mere five days before Donald Trump moved back into the White House to serve as the 47th US President. And it’s fair to say that Trump and O’Donnell don’t get along.

However, O'Donnell did not explicitly say she left the US because of Trump, although she did speak about the country's political and social climate.

With that said, the move seems to be going swimmingly. “It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say,” O’Donnell said in a nine-minute TikTok post. “The people are so loving and so kind and so welcoming. And I’m very grateful.”

The Flintstones star said she’s in the process of getting her Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents.

“I was never someone who thought I would move to another country. That's what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are,” she explained.

She also shared how her daughter is getting used to their new home, and while she and her daughter, whom she referred to as Clay, are 'happy', O’Donnell misses her other children who are in the States.

O’Donnell shares three adopted children with her ex-wife Kelli Carpenter: Parker, 29, Chelsea, 27, and Blake, 25. Carpenter also has a biological daughter named Vivienne, 22, who was conceived by IVF.

Dakota was adopted by O’Donnell and her second wife Michelle Rounds, from whom she split from in 2015.

The former The Rosie O’Donnell Show host said she misses her friends. “I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”

O’Donnell has a long-standing feud with Trump, which dates back almost two decades. She infamously made unfounded claims in 2016 that Trump's son Barron has autism, for which she apologised.

Apparently referencing Trump’s second term, the new Dublin resident noted in the video: “It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well.”

She also explained why she decided to make an announcement about her new home. “I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through,” she shared, touching on her absence on TikTok. “And now as we're getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what's been going on.”