It’s been less than a year since she surprised Kevin Costner by filing for divorce, but DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Christine Baumgartner is already preparing to tie the knot for the second time.
The lucky man is Josh Connor, 49, a divorced father of three whom he has been dating since at least January, although Costner claimed in a court hearing last September that sparks flew long before their own split.
Friends of the lovebirds told DailyMail.com that their relationship has become increasingly serious since DailyMail.com first photographed them together in January, and the smitten financier told associates of his marriage plans.
A source said: “Josh knows he can give her what Kevin didn’t, even though he is a high-powered executive with his own demanding career.”
Christine Baumgartner (right) is already preparing to marry her new love Josh Connor (left), less than a year after her divorce from ex Kevin Costner, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show a casually dressed Connor and Christine arriving separately at the posh Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club with their daughters Grace and Abigail, both 13, for an early dinner.
‘He also knows how important his children are to her, as his are to him. Trying to unite two families is not easy, but it is worth it.
DailyMail.com can reveal the process has already begun, with Christine, 49, taking her three children with the Yellowstone actor to dinner with Connor in Montecito over the Memorial Day weekend.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show a casually dressed Connor and Christine arriving separately at the posh Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club with their daughters Grace and Abigail, both 13, for an early dinner.
The duo were later joined by their children Cayden, 17, and Hayes, 15, but Connor’s older children Lily, 20, and John, 18, did not attend.
While Connor, Christine and Abigail stayed late at the $2,500-a-month private members’ club, their children arrived and left in their father’s black Ford F-150 pickup truck within 10 minutes, taking takeout bags with them. instead of having dinner with her mother and her soon-to-be new husband.
Meanwhile, Grace was picked up in a black Range Rover SUV, also with a takeaway bag, less than an hour after Christine took her to the club.
The three children were last seen just over a week ago on the Cannes red carpet with their father and older half-sisters Annie, 40, and Lily, 37, at the premiere of their new film Horizon: An American Saga.
The seven were seen posing together on the red carpet with Costner smiling along with six of his seven children, all of whom seemed excited to be there.
The film received an enthusiastic reception and a seven-minute standing ovation, with a clearly moved Costner crying in response to the warm response.
On May 19, Costner, 69, teared up during a 10-minute standing ovation after the premiere of his new multi-part Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga.
Kevin Costner’s ex-wife Christine Baumgartner and her boyfriend Josh Connor go to dinner at the private club Coral Casino in Montecito. Josh was with her daughter and Christine also arrived with her daughter but left early.
Friends of the lovebirds told DailyMail.com that their relationship has become increasingly serious since DailyMail.com first photographed them together in January, and the smitten financier told associates of his marriage plans.
While Connor, Christine and Abigail stayed late at the $2,500-a-month private members’ club, their children arrived and left in their father’s black Ford F-150 pickup truck within 10 minutes with bags of food to take with them.
A source told DailyMail.com: ‘Christine herself said Josh is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. It’s not that Christine is at home wishing she was in the glitz and glamor of Cannes; She’d rather be walking barefoot on the beach with Josh.
But she said she’s happy for Kevin. Horizon has been her everything for so long and she’s glad all the kids can be there to support him.”
Costner, 68, has previously spoken of his pride in his children, telling People magazine in 2022: “You have to get down on the floor and play with them.” And you teach them to be independent.
‘The sad thing about this is that they become that. I’m like any other parent: I’m trying to figure it out.’
Sources told DailyMail.com that Horizon, a passion project of Costner’s that he largely financed himself, is partly to blame for the end of the marriage, and Christine complained to friends that the actor devoted so much time to the project that he I felt alone. .
His children were Annie, 40, Lily, 37, Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 13, with whom he posed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19.
The source said: “Christine said Kevin’s obsession with Horizon took priority over their marriage and that’s what caused the rift between them.
“It was about what he wanted, and every conversation led to his pet project. She said she always supported his dreams, but it was a one-way street.
“It was a lonely marriage and he was very aware that she was unhappy, but at the same time he was unwilling to do anything about it.” Costner spent much of last year filming the movie in Utah and Arizona and has been shuttling between his mansion in Carpinteria, California, and Montana to film Yellowstone for years.
However, he was blindsided when Christine filed for divorce last May, a split that quickly turned ugly and saw the couple exchange tough legal filings as they fought over whether she could revoke their prenup and how much child support she would have. get.
The 49-year-old initially wanted a whopping $128,000 a month, but was forced to settle for $60,000 after a week-long hearing in which a Santa Barbara judge sided with Costner.
The former couple also feuded over Costner’s Carpinteria mega-mansion, and Christine refused to move out for weeks before her lawyers finally forced her to do so.
Kevin Costner’s ex-wife Christine Baumgartner enjoyed her first PDA in May with her new man Josh Connor, days after her ex-husband said he “took a beating” from Yellowstone bosses amid their ugly divorce.
Christine Baumgartner and her new boyfriend Josh Connor were spotted together after lunch and shopping in Calabasas in April.
Connor, himself a divorced father of three, became legally single on January 3, 2023.
Earlier this year, both Christine and her ex Kevin Costner settled their divorce after she filed last year in May; seen in 2019 in Los Angeles
Now living in a rented property in Montecito, the court heard how she had borrowed $20,000 from Connor (money she claimed she had repaid), while Costner accused the couple of dating, which Christine denied while testifying.
Costner and Christine finally settled their divorce in October, avoiding a lengthy trial in December over the prenuptial agreement she had signed.
Despite the turmoil and embarrassing publicity, Christine has told friends that she is happier with Connor than she ever was with Costner.
A source told DailyMail.com: ‘Christine said she has never been happier, especially now that she and Josh have decided to go public with their relationship.
“Her friends said they wouldn’t be surprised if they got married next year, something intimate and simple.”
