The ring is a magnificent emerald-cut diamond, which signifies ‘clarity, strength and a clear and transparent relationship’.
For Christine Baumgartner, 50, the ex-wife of Hollywood actor Kevin Costner, it also represents a fresh start with a new man she adores and who, as one friend said cryptically last night, ‘shares her same values’.
When news broke this week that Christine – who was married to the Dances With Wolves star for 18 years and has three children with him – had accepted the proposal of wealthy financier Josh Connor, 49, some were quick to criticise her for getting engaged so swiftly after finalising her divorce.
After all, it is less than a year since the end of what was, by anyone’s measure, one of the most contentious and bitter divorces in Hollywood history.
There were recriminations on both sides: Costner claimed Christine refused to leave the couple’s $145 million (£117 million) compound, while Christine filed court orders forbidding the actor from taking their children out of state.
They battled to the wire over child maintenance payments and even, according to Christine, the ‘pots and pans’.
Christine Baumgartner, 50, and Kevin Costner in 2022. The couple were married for 18 years and have three children together
Christine with her new fiance, financier Josh Connor, 49. Some have criticised her for getting engaged so swiftly after finalising her divorce
But now, it seems, just 11 months on from their divorce being finalised, Christine has put it all firmly behind her. Last Sunday, Connor got down on bended knee on a windswept beach in Santa Barbara, two hours up the coast from Los Angeles.
The spot was a few miles from the sprawling property Christine shared with Costner in nearby Carpinteria, which was at the heart of their acrimonious split.
One woman took to social media to write: ‘Well, that was fast. The ink is barely dry on her divorce documents.’
Another added: ‘I never thought I’d say this but I feel sorry for Kevin Costner. This must sting. How can his ex move on so quickly? That’s brutal.’
Costner, too, reportedly feels ‘sucker punched’ by the speed of the engagement, and is said to be considering challenging the terms of their February 2024 divorce settlement.
He learned of the proposal through their children, with one friend telling DailyMail.com: ‘He would have preferred to have heard it straight from Christine but, either way, it still feels like a betrayal, even after all this time.’
Sources close to Christine, meanwhile, say she is ‘blissfully happy’ and focusing on her future. She and Connor are also shopping for a home together (he put his house on the market for $7.3million – £5.8 million – this week).
‘Christine and Josh’s relationship began as a friendship so their relationship has a strong foundation,’ one confidante told me.
‘They are both very private and family focused. Christine and Josh are such positive people.
‘Their friends and family are thrilled they’ve found each other and are starting a healthy and happy new chapter in their lives.
‘She’s beyond happy to be with someone in a committed and loving relationship who shares her same values.’
As with all good Tinseltown dramas there are two sides to this story. Friends of Christine insist that much of what has previously been reported about her break-up with Costner is simply wrong.
For starters, when Costner, 70, announced the split in May 2023, it came as a bombshell to many who believed his nearly two-decade marriage was one of the happiest in a town not known for lasting relationships.
But, according to sources close to Christine, she had been ‘living a lie’ for years.
‘Everyone thought that she was living the dream with a movie star husband in their $145 million estate but the reality was she was desperately lonely.
‘Christine stayed in an unhappy marriage for years for the sake of her and Kevin’s three children.’
Costner often retreated into his work, perhaps without realising the extent of his wife’s increasing unhappiness.
Worth an estimated $400 million (£322 million), Costner has spent much of the past few years devoted to his ‘passion project’ called Horizon: An America Saga, a series of four movies about the American West into which he sank $38 million (£30.6 million) of his own money.
The first film bombed at the box office last year, with the second set to premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Friday.
The actor also spent months away from home filming the hit TV Western Yellowstone, in which he played patriarch John Dutton for five seasons.
His portrayal of Dutton started in 2018 and revived his Hollywood career, which peaked in the 1990s with hits including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, alongside Whitney Houston, and Dances With Wolves, the blockbuster which won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner.
He was earning $1.3 million (£1 million) an episode for Yellowstone when his character was killed off midway through Season 5, reportedly after Costner and show creator Taylor Sheridan had a falling out.
A source who worked on the show said: ‘Yellowstone introduced Costner to a new generation of fans but the schedule was gruelling. We were on set for months on end. Costner’s marriage wasn’t the only one which got into trouble.’
The ensuing divorce became increasingly contentious, with both sides slinging mud in publicly available court documents that ended up making global headlines.
Costner accused Christine of spending $95,000 (£76,600) on his credit card (on lawyers and a forensic accountant) and of refusing to move out of the marital home, despite a pre-nuptial agreement signed before their 2004 wedding, in which she agreed Costner would keep the property he bought in 1988 if they broke up.
Documents revealed that Costner – who also has three adult children from a first marriage to college sweetheart Cindy Silva – called Christine’s refusal to leave their home ‘surprising and disheartening’.
The Costner family at a red carpet event at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival in May last year
He added: ‘I was married once before and, upon separation, found myself without a home base and unable to live in my own home. I never wanted this to happen again.’
Costner’s high-powered lawyer Laura Wasser filed for a court order to remove Christine from the house, while Christine’s lawyers responded by filing a restraining order forbidding him from taking their children out of state or selling any property.
Costner claimed he gave Christine $1 million (£806,000) so she could rent a property nearby.
She argued the money was paid into an account without her knowledge and insisted that she needed more time to find a suitable rental home. She also asked for $165,000 (£133,000) a month in child support to ‘maintain their children’s lifestyle’.
A judge eventually ordered Costner to pay $63,209 (£50,970) a month as well as the children’s school and medical bills.
Christine moved out of the marital home in July 2023 but court documents revealed that the pair were fighting to the end, with Christine claiming Costner was ‘worried she was going to take too many pots and pans’.
She also claimed the actor told their children about their split via Zoom, telling the court: ‘He insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced ‘first’ and tell them privately ‘without me present’.
‘After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present.’
But behind the scenes, there was rampant speculation that Christine and her new love had an affair behind the movie star’s back – something they vehemently deny.
Connor was said to be a neighbour of the Costners – also not true. In fact, he and Christine met through their teenage daughters who are best friends.
Connor – who runs an investment company specialising in transportation – has three children with his first wife Patricia.
The pair were photographed together on holiday in Hawaii in July 2023, two months after her marriage ended, fuelling rumours they were already a couple. Christine would testify under oath during the divorce that while she did enjoy a holiday in a Hawaiian villa – paid for by Connor – she slept in a separate bedroom with another mutual female friend who joined them on the trip, which was primarily a holiday for their children.
In fact, romance did not blossom until the pair took a trip to New York at the end of 2023, seven months after Christine filed for divorce.
‘It started with a walk through Central Park and that’s when the friendship blossomed into something more,’ a friend revealed.
‘They went back to New York just before Christmas to celebrate their first anniversary in the place where it all began.
‘Christine is such a positive person. She and Josh are looking forward, not backwards.’
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Costner has been linked to a string of women since his divorce, including Sharon Stone, singer Jewel (he says they are merely ‘old friends’) and even Jennifer Lopez following the breakdown of her marriage to Ben Affleck.
J Lo and Costner have refused to comment on the reports, which began when they were photographed together in Aspen where Costner owns a 160-acre ranch.
Friends of the movie star say he is wary about jumping back into the dating pool. ‘He’s been dating but nothing serious,’ one told The Mail on Sunday last night.
‘Kevin is still processing everything that went on and is in no hurry to get into another long-term committed relationship.’ Costner admitted the divorce had hit him hard in an interview with CBS last year, saying: ‘That’s a crushing moment. It’s powerful. It hurt. But I go forward, I have no choice, my children are looking at me. So I can’t wilt like a daisy, I have to go forward.’
Costner and Christine share three children – sons Caden, 17, and Hayes, 15, and 14-year-old daughter Grace. When they finally settled their divorce they agreed to joint custody.
A source said: ‘Kevin is a great father. He was away from home a lot working but when he’s home he’s a very hands-on dad, driving the kids to school, taking them out to lunch, surfing with them, taking them to after-school events. He adores his kids.’
Costner and his ex are on cordial terms for the sake of their children, something one insider called ‘a miracle considering how nasty things got’.
Last week, several US outlets claimed Costner may seek to revise details of their settlement in light of his ex’s plans to remarry. For Christine, it is all about moving forward and staying ‘positive and in the light’.
A friend said: ‘It is entirely Kevin’s choice if he wants to live in the past.
‘Christine is solely focused on her future and happiness for her kids, Josh and, for the first time in a long time, herself.
‘Anyone who knows Christine knows how she has dedicated her life to her family and caring for her kids has remained her focus this whole time.
‘The ring Josh gave her is an emerald shape which signifies clarity, strength and a clear and transparent relationship.
‘She and Josh are over the moon and excited for their future together.’ Whether Costner is able to move on so easily remains to be seen.