LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean and his estranged wife Rochelle McLean have opened up about their relationship status after announcing their temporary separation earlier this year in March.

The couple, who share two daughters, revealed that they are still close and working on their issues with couple therapy.

AJ McLean said he and Rochelle McLean are working on their marriage after separation

“We still live separately, but we are in couples therapy. We are in individual therapy. We talk every day. We are spending more time together,” AJ said on Cheryl Burke’s 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' podcast on Tuesday, November 7.

AJ added, “We just have to rebuild something that was never there from the beginning.”

The Backstreet Boys member admitted that both he and Rochelle had their own baggage and trauma when they started dating in 2011.

He also confessed that his struggle with substance abuse affected their marriage.

AJ McLean says he and Rochelle are learning to communicate better and have empathy for each other

AJ says they are commenting better and have empathy for each other.

He said, “I wasn’t sober or even ready to get sober, she was dealing with her own s**t."

“It was just a constant push-pull. She would sweep her feelings under the rug, I would do the same thing or I’d dive into a bottle," he added.

AJ said that he and Rochelle are now learning to communicate better and have empathy for each other.

He also shared that he has improved his communication with his daughters, Elliot, 10, and Lyric, six.

AJ McLean says he would 'twist' estranged wife's feelings 'and make it about me'

He continued and said that he would twist the feelings and make it about himself.

“If you and I are having a conversation and you’re telling me your feelings, I’m validating your feelings, I’m hearing your feelings and I have empathy because normally I would twist it and make it about me. Not anymore,” he explained.

The couple announced their separation in March 2023, saying that they hoped to rebuild their marriage.

“Marriage is hard but worth it. We have mutually decided to separate temporarily to work on ourselves, and on our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future,” they said in a joint statement, according to Us Weekly.

“The plan is to come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another, and our family," he said.