Prince's Ex-Wife Mayte Garcia on Losing Their Son: 'I Was Broken and I Lost Hope'

Prince and Garcia lost their son a week after he was born in 1996

Photo: Sinead Lynch/AFP/Getty

Mayte Garcia is still reeling from ex-husband Prince‘s death, and now she is opening up about their relationship and experiences together.

At Single Moms Planet’s Single Mom’s Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, Garcia gave a heartfelt, teary-eyed speech about how her dream of becoming a mother was shaken when her and Prince’s son Boy Gregory died just a week after his birth in 1996, Access Hollywood reports.

“Like most women, I always dreamt of becoming a mother,” she said. “Unfortunately, I got pregnant, lost the baby months later and then lost my marriage.”

She added: “It just wasn’t my time yet. … After that, I was broken. And I kinda lost hope. I basically gave up my dream of becoming a mom.”

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Despite their difficult breakup soon after the tragedy, Garcia, 42, agreed to join the cast of VH1’s Hollywood Exes for three seasons, during which she talked about the ups and downs of her relationship with the “Purple Rain” singer.

“The show served as therapy for me. … I opened up about losing my son and, in return, I gained a daughter,” she said. “Long story short, a woman watching my show was moved enough to reach out to me through Twitter about adopting her baby.”

Garcia continued: “I didn’t know what to believe or feel, but I took the offer as a sign that the universe, the mother, father, God wanted to give me a second chance at my dream of becoming a mother. … I fell in love with that 8-month-old baby girl and there was another sign: We share the same birthday.”

But the most clear sign of all?

“We both needed to be loved,” Garcia said. “And five years later, she’s my greatest gift. She is my angel, my everything.”