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Rosie O'Donnell opens up about estranged daughter Chelsea

"We hope that she is safe, number one, and that she finds her way home," the television personality said.

By Annie Martin
Rosie O'Donnell at Sirius XM's Howard Stern Birthday Bash on February 1, 2014. The television personality opened up about estranged daughter Chelsea O'Donnell on Monday. File photo by Justin Alt/UPI
1 of 4 | Rosie O'Donnell at Sirius XM's Howard Stern Birthday Bash on February 1, 2014. The television personality opened up about estranged daughter Chelsea O'Donnell on Monday. File photo by Justin Alt/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Rosie O'Donnell opened up about estranged daughter Chelsea O'Donnell on Monday.

The 53-year-old television personality discussed her teenage daughter with reporters at her annual Rosie's Theater Kids gala. Chelsea left to live with her birth mother after turning 18 in August, and now lives in New York with friends.

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"I have a daughter who's in a crisis," O'Donnell told Entertainment Tonight. "Any mother or father who's ever had a child in crisis, they know it's upsetting until your child is once again safely on the shore and not in [the] rapids. Sadly, right now, Chelsea seems to be in the rapids and her family loves her and misses her."

Chelsea's decision to move out came less than a week after she was discovered at the home of an alleged heroin dealer. The teenager had been missing for days, and O'Donnell told Us Weekly at the gala daughter's struggles have affected their family for over a decade.

"It hasn't been easy, but we love her very much, and we hope she's safe and starts to make some better choices," she said. "When a child turns 18, there's nothing legally that a parent can do ... so, we hope that she is safe, number one, and that she finds her way back home."

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O'Donnell previously cited Chelsea's reported mental illness as a factor in her behavior. The teenager denied she is mentally ill in a recent interview with Inside Edition, and said she "cares" about O'Donnell but "wouldn't really use" the word "love."

O'Donnell and first wife Kelli Carpenter adopted Chelsea in 1997, and also share son Blake and daughter Vivienne. The television personality is also mother to son Parker, whom she adopted as a single mother, and daughter Dakota with ex-wife Michelle Rounds.

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