PC EXCLUSIVE: Rib Hillis, Confessions of a Single, Hollywood Dad

Pop Confidential: In addition to being an in demand model, TV host and actor, you're also a single father, sharing custody of your twins, Dane and Hannah. How do you balance auditioning, walking the runway and hosting shows like A&E's $100 Makeover, with raising a pair of tykes?

Rib Hillis: A lot of caffeine and a lot of help. But seriously, juggling a career and family is hard work, as any working parent will tell you. I try to schedule my work around when my kids are with their mother, but that is not always possible. When there is a scheduling conflict, I have a tremendous support system of close friends. I am also extremely close to my ex and her family, so we all just do our best to make it work out. Dad doesn't get as much sleep as he would like....but in the end, I would gladly sacrifice sleep to see my kids happy...and they are.

PC: You are divorced from Dane and Hannah's mother, Melissa Blackler. Celebs like Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have successfully co-parented with Will's ex, and the mother of his first son. And until recent, unfortunate tabloid rumors, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Bruce Willis appeared to head up a near-perfect blended family. Do you think exes getting along and communicating is key to co-parenting?

RH: Getting along with your ex is paramount to co-parenting and doing your best to raise healthy/happy kids. Melissa and I decided to make it work as opposed to making it not work. I have the deepest respect and sincerest love for Melissa. She is an incredible mother and quite frankly the best 'ex-wife' ever...although, she is my only one! [Laughs] I think that love and respect are key to getting along with your ex. I loved her once enough to marry her and have children with her. Why should that change now? We shared some wonderful times together, have two incredible children together...but we want to continue our lives apart. I have heard it said that the key to a happy life is a happy wife; the same can be said for a happy divorce. I truly wish for her happiness and will do what ever I can to make that happen. I think she feels the same way. When you are trying to co-parent, a cooperative, healthy relationship is essential. I am just making this up as I go along, but so far it is working. We have a wonderful family, albeit we live in two separate homes.

PC: How old are Dane and Hannah? What do they think of seeing Dad on TV?

RH: Dane and Hannah are 7-years-old. They enjoy seeing dad on TV, but to be honest...to them, it is not that big of a deal. They have grown up seeing dad in magazines and on TV, meeting other people in the entertainment industry and seeing them on TV or hearing their voices in commercials and movies. They aren't classic 'Hollywood Industry' kids, but they don't know any different. They also have done some work, both print and commercial, so it is not totally foreign to them. But like all kids, work is that thing that keeps their daddy away from them.

PC: Are there times when you have to miss out on an event involving your kids because of work? If so, how do you navigate that?

RH: Absolutely, I have missed out on events and moments in my kids' lives because of work. It is never good to miss out on something. I try to keep in mind that my job affords me a lot of free time to spend with my kids and I try to take advantage of every moment. So when those wonderful opportunities come along to work, I am happy to do it. We live a very non-traditional lifestyle. My kids have grown up with that. They know that there are times when dad will be away, but there are also wonderful times that we get to spend together and do some pretty amazing things...at least that's what I tell myself so I don't feel awful about missing those special moments with my kids. I guess all parents go through this.

PC: Do you ever take Dane and Hannah to the set with you?

RH: Taking my kids to set is one of the small perks to working in the entertainment industry. I love to show them what daddy does at work and introduce them to the amazing people I work with. I realize that to them it isn't that unique, but some day they will be sitting around with friends in college, talking about their childhood and they will be able to share stories and experiences that most kids would never have had.

PC: When your kids are with you, what's a typical day look like at the House of Hillis?

RH: When I have the kids, the day starts off early, 6:15 am for me. I get up, drag myself to the kitchen, start the coffee, try to rub the sleep out of my eyes, then I start preparing breakfast and lunches. I get them up around 6:30 am, have them eat breakfast, get their teeth brushed and get dressed for school. We are out the door by 7:15 am. I drive them to school, park and walk them on campus, wait with them during the Pledge of Allegiance, then kiss them goodbye as they go into their classroom. Most days, it seems, I have to head to Los Angeles for work, castings or meetings, so I run (literally run) back to my car and fight the horrific traffic to get up to LA. I try to schedule everything early in the day so I can make it back in time to pick them up from school. I wait outside their door and see their happy faces as they come out of their classroom. We try to go home right after school and get their homework done, then it's play time. We have play dates or just chase each other around on the beach. I try to fit in some 'work' and get things done on my computer as well. I make dinner at home most days, so it's dinner, then I have them read to me. We like to snuggle on the couch and watch a little TV before bed. Wipeout is our favorite show. Then off to brush our teeth and hop in bed. I try to read them a bedtime story. Right now I am reading The Iliad by Homer. By this point I am usually so exhausted that I fall asleep with them, but some nights I have to get up and answer emails. The days are very full, but surprisingly satisfying.

PC: If someone were to write a TV series based on your day-to-day life as a single, celebrity dad, would it be a sitcom or a soap opera, and why?

RH: I am going to say it would be a 'drama-dy' (a combination of the two). My life is definitely full of ridiculous situations that would make you laugh out loud if you saw them, but there is a fair amount of drama in my life as well. Mostly it is just me being overly 'dramatic' or stressing out on something trivial (I tend to do that), but occasionally there are some real issues that come up which raise the intensity level. We all manage to cope pretty well, have a good laugh ... and occasionally a good cry, and then it's all back to normal,  or at least what we call normal in the "House of Hillis". [Laughs]