How 'sucker punched' Kevin Costner could go back on his bitterly fought divorce deal now his ex has found new love so fast

The ringing is simply a magnificent emerald-cut diamond, which signifies 'clarity, spot and a wide and transparent relationship'.

For Christine Baumgartner, 50, the ex-wife of Hollywood histrion Kevin Costner, it besides represents a caller commencement with a caller antheral she adores and who, arsenic 1 person said cryptically past night, 'shares her aforesaid values'.

When quality broke this week that Christine – who was joined to the Dances With Wolves prima for 18 years and has 3 children with him – had accepted the connection of affluent financier Josh Connor, 49, immoderate were speedy to criticise her for getting engaged truthful swiftly aft finalising her divorce.

After all, it is little than a twelvemonth since the extremity of what was, by anyone's measure, 1 of the astir contentious and bitter divorces successful Hollywood history.

There were recriminations connected some sides: Costner claimed Christine refused to permission the couple's $145 cardinal (£117 million) compound, portion Christine filed tribunal orders forbidding the histrion from taking their children retired of state.

They battled to the ligament implicit kid attraction payments and even, according to Christine, the 'pots and pans'.

But now, it seems, conscionable 11 months connected from their divorcement being finalised, Christine has enactment it each firmly down her. Last Sunday, Connor got down connected bended genu connected a windswept formation successful Santa Barbara, 2 hours up the seashore from Los Angeles.

The spot was a fewer miles from the sprawling spot Christine shared with Costner successful adjacent Carpinteria, which was astatine the bosom of their acrimonious split.

One pistillate took to societal media to write: 'Well, that was fast. The ink is hardly adust connected her divorcement documents.'

Another added: 'I ne'er thought I'd accidental this but I consciousness atrocious for Kevin Costner. This indispensable sting. How tin his ex determination connected truthful quickly? That's brutal.'

Costner, too, reportedly feels 'sucker punched' by the velocity of the engagement, and is said to beryllium considering challenging the presumption of their February 2024 divorcement settlement.

He learned of the connection done their children, with 1 person telling DailyMail.com: 'He would person preferred to person heard it consecutive from Christine but, either way, it inactive feels similar a betrayal, adjacent aft each this time.'

Sources adjacent to Christine, meanwhile, accidental she is 'blissfully happy' and focusing connected her future. She and Connor are besides buying for a location unneurotic (he enactment his location connected the marketplace for $7.3million – £5.8 cardinal – this week).

'Christine and Josh's narration began arsenic a relationship truthful their narration has a beardown foundation,' 1 confidante told me.

'They are some precise backstage and household focused. Christine and Josh are specified affirmative people.

'Their friends and household are thrilled they've recovered each different and are starting a steadfast and blessed caller section successful their lives.

'She's beyond blessed to beryllium with idiosyncratic successful a committed and loving narration who shares her aforesaid values.'

As with each bully Tinseltown dramas determination are 2 sides to this story. Friends of Christine importune that overmuch of what has antecedently been reported astir her break-up with Costner is simply wrong.

For starters, erstwhile Costner, 70, announced the divided successful May 2023, it came arsenic a bombshell to galore who believed his astir two-decade matrimony was 1 of the happiest successful a municipality not known for lasting relationships.

But, according to sources adjacent to Christine, she had been 'living a lie' for years.

'Everyone thought that she was surviving the imagination with a movie prima hubby successful their $145 cardinal property but the world was she was desperately lonely.

'Christine stayed successful an unhappy matrimony for years for the involvement of her and Kevin's 3 children.'

Costner often retreated into his work, possibly without realising the grade of his wife's expanding unhappiness.

Worth an estimated $400 cardinal (£322 million), Costner has spent overmuch of the past fewer years devoted to his 'passion project' called Horizon: An America Saga, a bid of 4 movies astir the American West into which helium sank $38 cardinal (£30.6 million) of his ain money.

The archetypal movie bombed astatine the container bureau past year, with the 2nd acceptable to premiere astatine the Santa Barbara Film Festival connected Friday.

The histrion besides spent months distant from location filming the deed TV Western Yellowstone, successful which helium played patriarch John Dutton for 5 seasons.

His portrayal of Dutton started successful 2018 and revived his Hollywood career, which peaked successful the 1990s with hits including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, alongside Whitney Houston, and Dances With Wolves, the blockbuster which won 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner.

He was earning $1.3 cardinal (£1 million) an occurrence for Yellowstone erstwhile his quality was killed disconnected midway done Season 5, reportedly aft Costner and amusement creator Taylor Sheridan had a falling out.

A root who worked connected the amusement said: 'Yellowstone introduced Costner to a caller procreation of fans but the docket was gruelling. We were connected acceptable for months connected end. Costner's matrimony wasn't the lone 1 which got into trouble.'

The ensuing divorcement became progressively contentious, with some sides slinging mud successful publically disposable tribunal documents that ended up making planetary headlines.

Costner accused Christine of spending $95,000 (£76,600) connected his recognition paper (on lawyers and a forensic accountant) and of refusing to determination retired of the marital home, contempt a pre-nuptial statement signed earlier their 2004 wedding, successful which she agreed Costner would support the spot helium bought successful 1988 if they broke up.

Documents revealed that Costner – who besides has 3 big children from a archetypal matrimony to assemblage sweetheart Cindy Silva – called Christine's refusal to permission their location 'surprising and disheartening'.

He added: 'I was joined erstwhile earlier and, upon separation, recovered myself without a location basal and incapable to unrecorded successful my ain home. I ne'er wanted this to hap again.'

Costner's high-powered lawyer Laura Wasser filed for a tribunal bid to region Christine from the house, portion Christine's lawyers responded by filing a restraining bid forbidding him from taking their children retired of authorities oregon selling immoderate property.

Costner claimed helium gave Christine $1 cardinal (£806,000) truthful she could rent a spot nearby.

She argued the wealth was paid into an relationship without her cognition and insisted that she needed much clip to find a suitable rental home. She besides asked for $165,000 (£133,000) a period successful kid enactment to 'maintain their children's lifestyle'.

A justice yet ordered Costner to wage $63,209 (£50,970) a period arsenic good arsenic the children's schoolhouse and aesculapian bills.

Christine moved retired of the marital location successful July 2023 but tribunal documents revealed that the brace were fighting to the end, with Christine claiming Costner was 'worried she was going to instrumentality excessively galore pots and pans'.

She besides claimed the histrion told their children astir their divided via Zoom, telling the court: 'He insisted that helium had the close to archer them that we were getting divorced 'first' and archer them privately 'without maine present'.

'After a 24-year relationship, from his edifice country successful Las Vegas, Kevin told our 3 children we were getting divorced implicit a 10-minute Zoom telephone without maine present.'

But down the scenes, determination was rampant speculation that Christine and her caller emotion had an matter down the movie star's backmost – thing they vehemently deny.

Connor was said to beryllium a neighbour of the Costners – besides not true. In fact, helium and Christine met done their teenage daughters who are champion friends.

Connor – who runs an concern institution specialising successful proscription – has 3 children with his archetypal woman Patricia.

The brace were photographed unneurotic connected vacation successful Hawaii successful July 2023, 2 months aft her matrimony ended, fuelling rumours they were already a couple. Christine would attest nether oath during the divorcement that portion she did bask a vacation successful a Hawaiian villa – paid for by Connor – she slept successful a abstracted chamber with different communal pistillate person who joined them connected the trip, which was chiefly a vacation for their children. 

In fact, romance did not blossom until the brace took a travel to New York astatine the extremity of 2023, 7 months aft Christine filed for divorce.

'It started with a locomotion done Central Park and that's erstwhile the relationship blossomed into thing more,' a person revealed.

'They went backmost to New York conscionable earlier Christmas to observe their archetypal day successful the spot wherever it each began.

'Christine is specified a affirmative person. She and Josh are looking forward, not backwards.'

Costner has been linked to a drawstring of women since his divorce, including Sharon Stone, vocalist Jewel (he says they are simply 'old friends') and adjacent Jennifer Lopez pursuing the breakdown of her matrimony to Ben Affleck.

J Lo and Costner person refused to remark connected the reports, which began erstwhile they were photographed unneurotic successful Aspen wherever Costner owns a 160-acre ranch.

Friends of the movie prima accidental helium is wary astir jumping backmost into the dating pool. 'He's been dating but thing serious,' 1 told The Mail connected Sunday past night.

'Kevin is inactive processing everything that went connected and is successful nary hurry to get into different semipermanent committed relationship.' Costner admitted the divorcement had deed him hard successful an interrogation with CBS past year, saying: 'That's a crushing moment. It's powerful. It hurt. But I spell forward, I person nary choice, my children are looking astatine me. So I can't wilt similar a daisy, I person to spell forward.'

Costner and Christine stock 3 children – sons Caden, 17, and Hayes, 15, and 14-year-old girl Grace. When they yet settled their divorcement they agreed to associated custody.

A root said: 'Kevin is simply a large father. He was distant from location a batch moving but erstwhile he's location he's a precise hands-on dad, driving the kids to school, taking them retired to lunch, surfing with them, taking them to after-school events. He adores his kids.'

Costner and his ex are connected cordial presumption for the involvement of their children, thing 1 insider called 'a occurrence considering however nasty things got'.

Last week, respective US outlets claimed Costner whitethorn question to revise details of their colony successful airy of his ex's plans to remarry. For Christine, it is each astir moving guardant and staying 'positive and successful the light'.

A person said: 'It is wholly Kevin's prime if helium wants to unrecorded successful the past.

'Christine is solely focused connected her aboriginal and happiness for her kids, Josh and, for the archetypal clip successful a agelong time, herself.

'Anyone who knows Christine knows however she has dedicated her beingness to her household and caring for her kids has remained her absorption this full time.

'The ringing Josh gave her is an emerald signifier which signifies clarity, spot and a wide and transparent relationship.

'She and Josh are implicit the satellite and excited for their aboriginal together.' Whether Costner is capable to determination connected truthful easy remains to beryllium seen.