Cynthia Derderian is the former wife of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Cynthia’s ex-husband Van Damme is a popular martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. He is one of the biggest entertainers in Hollywood and a popular action film star. He is widely known as one of the most iconic martial arts action stars of all time.

Van Damme is known for his work in Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), and many others. He has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry.

Cynthia Derderian: Bio Summary

Who Is Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Ex-wife, Cynthia?

Cynthia Derderian was the wife of Jean-Claude Van Damme and she has been in the limelight as his ex-wife. She was born on January 1, 1970, in the United States. She is at the age of 53 years as of 2023. Unfortunately, there is no information about her parents’ identity or occupations. Details regarding her siblings, other family members, and childhood is not available. She holds an American nationality.

Cynthia Derderian was married to Jean-Claude Van Damme, born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg from August 24, 1985, until they divorced in 1986. She was his wife no 2. They had reportedly met while Van Damme was working for her father in his carpet store. Their marriage ended sooner than expected. They didn’t have any children together. Before Van Damme married Cynthia, he had married María Rodríguez from August 25, 1980, until they divorced in 1984.

The reason behind Cynthia Derderian and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s divorce is not known. After Cynthia and Van Damme’s marriage ended, Van Damme married his third wife former professional female bodybuilder and actress Gladys Portugues. They are parents of two, Kristopher van Varenberg and Bianca Brigitte. Van Damme also married former actress and model Darcy LaPier. They are the parents of Nicholas van Varenberg.

Van Damme remarried Gladys Portugues after he split from Darcy LaPier. In all, Van Damme has been married five times to four different women. As for Cynthia Derderian, she stayed away from the spotlight after she divorced Van Damme. Some sources have it that Cynthia had other marriages as well. She is said to have been married to Jeff Derderian. It is not known if she has any children or not.

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What Happened To Cynthia Derderian’s Ex-husband?

Cynthia Derderian’s ex-husband Jean-Claude Van Damme was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was addicted to cocaine to the extent that, he had to take up to 10 grams per day, which cost him to spend up to $10,000 a week. His substance abuse problem has been linked to his bipolar disorder, which was undiagnosed for years.

Before his diagnosis, Van Damme is said to have managed his symptoms by training in ballet and martial arts. He chose to resolve his addiction by quitting cold turkey and exercising. “I train differently, I eat differently, I’m trying to talk less fast because I have lots of passion for the project.” He revealed that the changes he made helped him to be better. “I’m better than yesterday.” He was diagnosed with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder.

Van Damme began taking sodium valproate, a mood-stabilizing drug to help him with his condition. He turned to training for help. “When I didn’t train for a couple of days, I felt so low and nothing could make me happy.” Except for drugs, unfortunately. He made it known that the stress of the constant filming and promotion of his films was what had led him to develop his cocaine habit.

In an interview, Van Damme spoke about how he developed a cocaine problem. He said: “It was a mixture, more than just the drugs. It was emotional. It was relationship, friendship, disappointment. It was about many things. Then I stopped training. I was just having enough of pulling the rope. You really need some good people behind you just to come out of it – which is yourself, the first one.”

Van Damme’s attempts at drug rehabilitation were unsuccessful. Speaking of therapy, he said it did not help him much. He said: ‘It didn’t help me too much. I’m sure it is good for some people. I met a great neurologist five years ago. The first time I went to his place, he said I was a daily cyclo-manic depressive. Which means in one day I was having a wave of three, four… up-and-down stuff. That’s why I’m so quiet and less alive now. I’ve got the same passion for everything, but I was fighting that thing. I was fighting it with the karate when I was young.’

At one point, he had wanted to commit suicide. He said: “It became a point where I wanted to die. I didn’t have any reasons to live. Maybe it’s selfish to say that, but I was not excited about anything. Then you have to find back your self-esteem. And then, slowly, every piece of yourself becomes precious again. One day it’s, like, either you pass or you don’t. It’s not the drugs, it’s a problem with yourself, which you have to cure.”

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Van Damme discussed his condition in 2011, on the British reality show Behind Closed Doors. He said: “Sometimes you’re gonna like me, and sometimes you’re gonna hate me. But what can I do? I’m not perfect … I’m an extreme bipolar, and I’m taking medication for this … When I was young, I was suffering those swing moods. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad.”

Eventually, Van Damme was able to recover from his addiction. He said of how he became clean: “Just by saying, “Stop!” When you’re ready to come back, you come back. If you’re not ready yourself, nobody can help you. Not clinics, not medication. To me – I don’t know about the other people – it’s depending on you.”

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