Kevin Costner’s divorce from estranged wife Christine Baumgartner got off to a messy start.
The duo tied the knot in September 2004. Nearly 19 years later, Us Weekly confirmed in May 2023 that Baumgartner had filed for divorce from the Oscar winner, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
“It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action,” a rep for Costner said in a statement to TMZ at the time. “We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
Costner met Baumgartner on a golf course in the ‘90s while he was preparing to play a professional golfer in the 1996 film Tin Cup. Following his 1994 split from ex-wife Cindy Silva — with whom he shares kids Annie, Lily and Joe — Costner began dating the California native in 1999. They went on to welcome sons Cayden and Hayes and daughter Grace. (The Molly’s Game actor also shares son Liam with ex Bridget Rooney.)
More than a decade after tying the knot, Costner told Closer Weekly in June 2018 that he and Baumgartner briefly split before their wedding day. “Fear kept me from marrying Christine,” he explained at the time. “[She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father.”
He continued: “I woke up and thought, ‘Am I going to lose a beautiful woman who is willing to be with me to my very last breath because I am afraid to say yes to a child?’ That’s all it took. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life.”
Shortly before their separation, the couple were set to attend the 2023 Golden Globes, at which Costner won for Best Television Actor in a Drama Series, but severe flooding in California prevented them from being able to travel for the awards ceremony.
“Nobody’s sadder than us that we can’t…
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