Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine gushes over 'charming' actor

EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine gushes over meeting ‘charming movie star’ when she was 18 and describes glamorous life traveling the world and staying in luxurious hotels as she asserts Yellowstone had NOTHING to do with their split

• Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine Baumgartner wrote to a judge in a plea to get $248,000 a month in child support from the actor 
• She wrote how she was wowed when she met Costner at 18 and detailed their extravagant lives together that included private planes and luxury hotels
• ‘I have avoided being public about the reasons for our divorce,’ she wrote. ‘I did not pressure Kevin to leave the Yellowstone show’

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife has described how she was instantly wowed when she first met ‘the handsome, charming movie star’ when she was just 18 and he was 37 in court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. 

Christine Baumgartner’s effusive description is in her latest court filing in the couple’s divorce battle – in which she also reveals extensive details of their extravagant lives together.

Baumgartner also asserted that his hit show Yellowstone was not the reason for the split.   

‘I have avoided being public about the reasons for our divorce,’ she wrote. ‘I have done this to protect our family’s privacy. I did not pressure Kevin to leave the Yellowstone show. 

‘Kevin’s public attacks on me are harmful for our family. I believe they are meant to pressure me to move out without a temporary child support agreement in place.’

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine Baumgartner wrote to a judge in a plea to get $248,000 a month in child support from the actor. The couple are pictured together in 2000

Christine Baumgartner’s effusive description is in her latest court filing in the couple’s divorce battle – in which she also reveals extensive details of their extravagant lives together

Baumgartner asserted that hit show Yellowstone was not the reason for the split. ‘I did not pressure Kevin to leave the Yellowstone show’

Baumgartner, 49, recalled the magic moment they met in 1992 in support of her bid for $248,000 in child support for the couple’s three teenagers. 

Baumgartner wrote: ‘I met Kevin on the golf course at the Alisal Ranch (an exclusive “dude” ranch in Solvang, California) when I was eighteen years old,’ she wrote in papers filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court, California.

‘We played our first game of golf six years later and started dating shortly thereafter.

‘Kevin was handsome, charming and a movie star. We traveled the world in private planes, stayed in luxurious hotels and private homes.’

She also said she was the driving force for the Field of Dreams star to realize his own dreams, writing: ‘During our marriage, I encouraged Kevin to wear many hats and live his dreams, even if that meant spending time away from our family.

‘I encouraged him to reconnect with his former bandmates from college and to start a new band. He became a singer/songwriter and toured for weeks at a time in many countries. He became an investor in several companies, some of which were through my connections.’

She added: ‘Despite all of Kevin’s commitments, I made sure to always keep him and the children connected as much as possible. I never questioned the time or commitment it took for him to do what he loved.’

Baumgartner also revealed in the court documents obtained by DailyMail.com that Costner broke the news to their three kids that their parents were divorcing via a 10-minute Zoom call.

The star of hit TV drama Yellowstone called them from his hotel room in Las Vegas despite Christine imploring him to allow the couple to tell them together to soften the blow, she says in the new filings.

‘Kevin was handsome, charming and a movie star. We traveled the world in private planes, stayed in luxurious hotels and private homes,’ she wrote

The pair wed in September 2004. It was Costner’s second marriage following his divorce from Cindy Silva in 1994

The couple had a private wedding at his ranch in Aspen, Colorado

The handbag designer and former model said in one new document: ‘The children’s welfare has always been my highest priority, and I was concerned they would find out about the divorce before Kevin and I could tell them.

‘It was important for me that we tell the children in person and together. I explained this to Kevin and shared several articles about the importance of talking to the children as a united front. I requested that we do this as soon as possible so they would not hear from an outside source.’

However Baumgartner said Costner ignored her plea regarding Grace, 13, Hayes, 14 and 16-year-old Cayden.

‘He disregarded my proposal to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the children.’ she wrote.

‘Instead, 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 that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present. I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session.’

She said Costner, 68, was due home five days later from Vegas where he had been filming and questioned why he could not have waited.

Baumgartner filing for divorce was revealed publicly on May 2 by a representative of Costner, who also has three adult children from two previous relationships.

Costner has claimed he is now effectively ‘homeless’, alleging his estranged wife is refusing to leave the couple’s palatial $145million beach compound in Carpentaria, just south of Santa Barbara – saying she must under their 2004 pre-nup. The estate has a beach club as well.

But he also owns a sprawling 160-acre ranch six miles outside exclusive Aspen, Colorado, called Dunbar, in honor of his character in the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves. It’s worth at least $80million has 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms and can comfortably accommodate 27 people.

The former couple was pictured with their three children in August of 2019 in LA. Baumgartner also revealed in the court documents obtained by DailyMail.com that Costner broke the news to their three kids that their parents were divorcing via a 10-minute Zoom call

The Oscar-winning actor said that under the terms of their prenuptial agreement, Christine had a 30-day period to move out of the house he owns following her May 1 divorce filing 

Baumgartner’s child support ask of $248,000 ‘is less than the amount needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle’ she wrote. She is also demanding he pay 100 per cent of their private schooling, extra-curricular activities and health care. Both she and Costner want joint custody.

‘It’s important to not only to provide a warm and comfortable home for our children but to also teach them family values and gratitude,’ she wrote. ‘I understand that guideline child support based on Kevin’s income in 2022 would be $152,681 per month.’

She insisted the true figure was higher. ‘The amount needed to maintain the children’s current lifestyle is $332,264 per month, which is 60% of what our family spent,’ she wrote.

Costner has said in court filings that his estranged wife has refused to leave the Carpentaria home, even though she signed the 2004 pre-nuptial agreement promising to quit within 30-days if they split.

‘Christine has taken the position that she will not move out of Kevin’s separate property residence unless and until Kevin agrees to various financial demands,’ his own attorney wrote.

The court was told he has already paid Baumgartner $1million to put towards a new place and gave her $200,000 in the early years of their marriage under the terms of the near 19-year-old pre-nup.

DailyMail.com spotted Costner’s estranged wife Christine Baumgartner walking to a lawyer’s office in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday 

Baumgartner has hit back in her latest findings, alleging Costner was trying to trick her into dipping into the cash and therefore voiding her right to challenge spousal support.

‘I have no personal income, and no assets in my personal name, other than a bank account Kevin set up when we married over 18 years ago, and another account that I had before marriage with less than $50,000,’ she wrote.

‘I recently learned Kevin without my knowledge or consent, deposited $1,000,000 into an account he had set up in my name years ago, asserting it was paid pursuant to paragraph F.5.i of the Premarital Agreement.

‘Kevin is trying to force my concession that the spousal support limitation is valid by my “acceptance” of these funds.

‘I believe that Kevin’s goal is to get me to tap into this money, so he can argue that I waived my right to challenge the Premarital Agreement. I cannot make this concession.’  

In other paperwork, Costner has asked the judge to seal the pre-nup agreement ‘in light of the confidentiality provision’.

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