Kevin Costner Felt ‘Broken’ During Divorce From Christine Baumgartner

Actor Kevin Costner recently detailed how tough it was to deal with his divorce from his ex-wife, Christine Baumgartner while remaining committed to other professional and personal endeavors.

Following his divorce, Costner seems to have found love in singer Jewel, while Baumgartner is dating her ex-husband’s banker friend Josh Connor.

It’s been nearly a year since Costner settled his ugly divorce battle with his ex Baumgartner after they decided to end their nearly two-decades-long marriage.

At the time the divorce battle was ongoing, Costner was knee-deep in his commitments to his Western film franchise, “Horizon: An American Saga,” while also juggling responsibilities to his children, three of whom he shares with Baumgartner.

“So much. Very serious stuff and those things are very important. I have to deal with them,” Costner described how he felt in those moments in an interview with GQ Magazine. “And I have to deal with them on a daily basis, emotionally, historically almost. And then there’s the immediate needs of children.”

He added, “I’m not going to list the things—I’m going to stop right there with them. That is my job, looking at that and dealing with that.”

Costner also revealed how he motivated himself to keep on pushing with the production of his films despite feeling “broken” about his separation.

“I’m not going to lose myself. I’ve taken big bites out of life, life’s taken big ones out of me, right? I’m not going to lose myself because I’ve been bruised,” the actor recalled telling himself.

He added, “I have been, but I’m not going to lose myself. And what I’m going to do is—because we are now after the white whale, okay? So I can’t let go of this rope no matter how much my heart’s on the ground, no matter how broken I may be on a daily basis, I can’t let go of this rope because if I do, this thing called Horizon will stop.”

The actor went on to note that his movies were not “more important than the other things in my life” but that he felt he owed it to his investors and supporters to show up every time.

At the recently held Cannes Film Festival, the first installment of Costner’s movie received a standing ovation after it played on the screen. The emotional reaction from the crowd, which lasted between 7 and 11 minutes, moved Costner to tears as the actor climbed on stage to give his speech.

“I’m sorry you had to clap that long for me to understand that I should speak,” Costner told the crowd, per USA Today.

“Such good people. Such a good moment, not just for me, but for the actors who came with me, for people who believed in me, who continued to work,” Costner  said, adding, “I’ll never forget this.”

For the screening, Costner came with five of his seven children: Cayden Costner, 17; Lily Costner, 37; Grace Costner, 13; Hayes Costner, 15; and Annie Costner, 40. He shares Annie and Lily with his first wife, Cindy Silva, and the rest with his ex Baumgartner.

Following Costner’s split from Baumgartner, the actor has been romantically linked with singer Jewel after they were captured being cozy around guests during a private charity event on a mutual friend’s island.

While the two have not publicly confirmed their relationship, Jewel seemed to hint at it during an interview with Elle, describing the “Yellowstone” star as “a great person.”

As for  Baumgartner, she is reportedly in a relationship with financier Josh Connor. According to reports, Connor was a neighbor and friend to the former couple, and it is unclear if he started dating the handbag designer prior to the finalization of her divorce from Costner.

Costner recently opened up about his side of the ongoing drama behind the scenes of his hit series, “Yellowstone.” The actor, who plays John Dutton III in the series directed by Taylor Sheridan, told Deadlineabout what happened between him and the studio Paramount.

There were rumors that a feud between Costner and Sheridan caused the halt in work on the series. Paramount claimed that the actor refused to shoot any more episodes to make more time to promote his new film, “Horizon.” However, Costner insists he honored his contract with them despite the rumors.

Costner noted that Paramount wanted amendments to his contract because of delayed scriptwriting.

He said, “There was no script. And then things imploded. You’ve been reading one version [of the show’s drama] for a year and a half. I have taken a beating from those f–king guys, and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from.”

Costner insisted that he always prioritized “Yellowstone.” He said, “‘Horizon’ was set in the middle, but ‘Yellowstone’ was first position. I fit [Horizon] into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps.”