Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner's Divorce Is "Not Anything That He Wanted" | They Were Together For 18 Years

"If he could change the situation, he would," a source said.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Mark Davis

By Shruti Menon

May 4, 2023

Posted May 4, 2023

Kevin Costner’s wife, Christine Baumgartner, has filed for divorce after 18 years of marriage. An insider revealed that the Oscar winner did not want his marriage to end this way.

Costner's representative told PEOPLE in a statement, "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. We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time,” the representative added. The couple tied the knot in September 2004 and share three children: Cayden Wyatt, 16; Hayes Logan, 14; and Grace Avery, 12.

A source told PEOPLE that divorce wasn't Costner's idea. "It was not anything that he wanted or sought, and if he could change the situation, he would," the source said. Another source claiming to be a longtime friend told Page Six, “Kevin was very surprised by Christine’s actions, he obviously doesn’t want the divorce and he would take her back. It’s disappointing, he loves her and he loves his children.” The insider also denied allegations of cheating. “There was no issue of cheating at all,” they said defiantly.

Kevin Costner and his wife of over 18 years Christine Baumgartner have announced they are going their separate ways. https://t.co/0LS73Ul9J8
— CNN (@CNN) May 3, 2023

The 68-year-old actor spoke fondly of his 49-year-old wife as recently as November of last year. "My wife does things that just completely... It just helps. The house is prettier because of her. Everything is warmer because of her. There's these little things that she does and I think it's the power of love, but that she makes her home that way," he previously told the outlet.

“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."https://t.co/sxYXZQbKDt
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 3, 2023

The Yellowstone actor also has four older children from previous relationships. Costner was previously married for 16 years to actress Cindy Silva, now 66, in 1978, and they had three children: Annie, now 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35. The pair divorced in 1994. According to The New York Post, he also shares a son, Liam, now 27, with actress Bridget Rooney, 61.

Who are Kevin Costner’s kids? Meet his 7 children and their mothers https://t.co/LAUv5FFFlp pic.twitter.com/lBUjDBQ936
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 3, 2023

Costner found love again with handbag designer, Christine Baumgartner, whom he married in 2004. He almost didn't take his relationship with Baumgartner further because she wanted children and he didn't. They had started dating in 2000 and briefly broke up in 2002. "She said, ‘I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,’” he told Parade in 2012. “And I did.” They soon got back together and tied the knot and welcomed three kids. To make this marriage work, he has had a lot of learning to do. "Maybe it’s the ability to say you’re sorry,” he said, adding, “I know that sounds so simple. If you’re willing to tell somebody that you love them, are you also willing to say you’re sorry? You need to, even when you think you’re in the right."

As the father of seven children, Costner said he is determined to keep raising his children right. "I want to live forever, and I know I won’t. I’m not afraid of dying. I’m only afraid of one thing: not being able to raise my kids. When I pray, that’s what I pray for—that I be the one who raises Grace, Hayes, and Cayden," he told the outlet at the time.