Johannesburg - Derick Hougaard has spoken out about his relationship with Karlien Van Jaarsveld after the couple's divorce in August (more on that here).
Karlien came under fire recently for first jetting off to Mauritius for a holiday, and then later posting about relationships on her social media accounts.
Angry fans reportedly lashed out at Karlien for "carrying on with her life", but the posts have since been deleted and most negative comments removed.
Talking to Rapport, Derick says that the constant criticism of Karlien has upset him.
"The things that I hear and read about her hurt me," he reveals.
Derick says that he and Karlien have dealt with their divorce differently and that she "sometimes behaves strangely".
"She's not always the person I knew. I can only pray every night that she will make the right decisions," Derick says.
Derick reveals that for two weeks after the couple's divorce, he took to the bottle to drown his sorrows. But says that he has since realised that's not the solution. Instead, Derick says he has chosen to life in the moment and make his children the focus of his attention.
And with the New Year sneaking up on us, the former rugby star says he can't wait for 2015 to end.
"2016 can only be better. Well, at least I know I won't be getting divorced again."
Karlien has since responded on Twitter to Derick saying she's sorry he declined her invite to attend the twins' birthday celebration.