Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner had been married for 18 years when they announced their divorce, but their narrative began more than a decade before their wedding.
The 68-year-old Yellowstone actor met his future wife while golfing in the early to mid-1990s. They didn't start dating until they ran into one other again in a restaurant in 1998.
"We swapped phone numbers, and I [asked] whether she would mind if I phoned her in two weeks. "I had no idea it was an insult to a woman," Costner told HotGossipNewz in 2003.
Despite a brief divorce in 2002, the two were "like little kids together, really in love," according to close friend David Giammarco at the time of the couple's September 2004 wedding.
When Costner first met Baumgartner, he was still married to his first wife, Cindy Silva. They met on a golf course while Costner was filming his 1996 romantic comedy Tin Cup.
After his divorce from Silva in 1994, Costner briefly dated and had a kid with Bridget Rooney. Following his divorce from Rooney, Costner met Baumgartner at a restaurant in 1998, and the two began dating soon after.
Baumgartner's wedding to Costner in 2004 was a fairy-tale affair. The event took held on The Dunbar, Costner's 160-acre ranch near Aspen, Colorado. According to PEOPLE, the groom arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, while Baumgartner arrived in a green vintage truck.
Baumgartner was open with Costner about his desire to start a family. Costner previously told Extra that Baumgartner informed him on the first day of their relationship, " 'If you're going to be with me, you need to know that kids are at the end of the road for me with you, if that's going to happen.' "
Baumgartner and Costner dated for six years before Baumgartner issued an ultimatum. "Finally, there came a point where I thought, maybe this doesn't go forward," the Field of Dreams star admitted before deciding, "I'm not going to lose her because I'm afraid."
Baumgartner gave birth to son Cayden, 15, son Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 12, three years after marrying Costner. The family walks the red carpet to support Costner at the premiere of The Art of Racing in the Rain in 2019.
Baumgartner also has stepchildren from Costner's past partnerships, including Liam, 26, whose mother is Rooney, as well as Joe, 35, Lily, 36, and Annie, 39, from his marriage to Silva.
Baumgartner and her husband's friendship was enhanced throughout COVID-19 quarantine. During that time, she homeschooled their children. "I'm a computer illiterate," Costner told HotGossipNewz in 2020. "I'm so thankful for Christine as a partner."
When asked about their relationship during the pandemic, the actor had nothing but admiration for his wife, telling HotGossipNewz, "Our partnership has really come into focus about what we do for each other and how we deal with our family."
Costner praised his wife in November, telling HotGossipNewz, "My wife does things that just utterly... It simply assists. Because of her, the house is more beautiful. Because of her, everything is warmer. There are these tiny things she does, and I believe it is the power of love, but she makes her home in this way."
"It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond Mr. Costner's control have transpired, resulting in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action," the actor's representative said in a statement to HotGossipNewz.
"We ask that his, Christine's, and their children's privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time," the representative continued.
The news of Costner and Baumgartner's divorce was originally reported by TMZ.
