AnnaLynne McCord will ''always love'' Dominic Purcell.

The 27-year-old actress, who split from the former 'Prison Break' star in December after three years of dating, admits she was devastated when pictures emerged of him with another woman a few weeks later.

She said: ''It's horrible. Public breakups are horrible. It's the worst thing on earth. You have to see your man with another woman.''

But the former '90210' star insists her split from the 45-year-old actor was amicable.

She told PEOPLE.com: ''I love Dominic. I'll always love him, and we'll always be in each other's lives. It's very hard. I believe suffering is a part of life, and if you take something from it, then you're in a good place.''

Despite appearing to still be in the process of getting over Dominic, the 'Dallas' actress recently started dating Rick Fox, who split from Eliza Dushku last June after five years of dating, and admits her new beau, 45, ''is a wonderful father'' like her ex-boyfriend.

She said: ''There's something to be said for a man who is a father ... That dynamic I saw with Dom. He's a wonderful father. Rick is a wonderful father.''

AnnaLynne, who does charity work with girls who have been sexually abused in Cambodia, is also grateful that Rick supports her passions.

She said: ''I am always attracted to intelligence. That's sexy. But recently what's more important to me than anything is that I'm with a man who cares about my girls in Cambodia, who cares about my passions. And I met someone recently who is really supportive of that.''