“Kevin Costner Reflects on His Divorce: A ‘Crushing Moment’ But Staying Strong for His Kids”
Kevin Costner is moving forward after a difficult divorce from ex-wife Christine Baumgartner.
“That’s a crushing moment. It’s powerful. It hurt,” Costner shared on CBS Mornings on June 27 when host Gayle King asked about his well-being following the divorce. “But I go forward. I have no choice — my children are looking at me.”
“I can’t wilt like a daisy; I have to keep moving ahead,” he continued. “I need to stay true to myself and pay close attention to who they are.”
Costner and Baumgartner married in 2004 after starting their relationship in 1998. Christine, 50, filed for divorce on May 1, 2023, after 18 years of marriage, citing their separation date as April 11, 2023. The couple shares three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14. Their marriage was officially dissolved in February when Christine’s lawyers requested that a Santa Barbara, Calif., court excuse both parties from a required co-parenting course.
The two-time Oscar winner and Baumgartner had previously agreed to joint custody of their children and settled their divorce in September 2023. A representative for Costner stated that they “have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.”
Discussing life after his divorce, Kevin told PEOPLE, “You just do it. You keep talking, coaching [the kids], and staying interested in what they’re interested in … I had to.” Before marrying Christine, he was married to Cindy Silva for 16 years; they divorced in 1994 and share three adult children. In the interim between his marriage to Silva and his relationship with Baumgartner, he briefly dated Bridget Rooney, with whom he has a 27-year-old son, Liam.
When asked about the possibility of finding love again, he said, “Yeah, I think everybody would like to be in love. There’s such a good feeling associated with that. It may have to be defined in a different way, but I love the idea of that possibility.”
