Kevin Costner‘s estranged wife, Christine, has officially moved out of the family home — but she didn’t land far.
In a surprise move in the contentious divorce, the former handbag designer, 49, moved just minutes down the road to a second beachfront property owned by the Yellowstone star, 68. According to a People magazine source, the move — which occurred on Friday, photos obtained by multiple outlets showed — is a “temporary solution” until Christine can find a house in the area to be close to the couple’s three children.
“Christine is following the legal advice per the prenup and is vacating the family house,” the insider told the outlet. She “will stay at a smaller house” that was previously “used as a staff quarter… This is a temporary solution. She is still looking for another house. She is staying in the area to not disrupt the kids’ lives. They will be back at school in the fall with their friends. [She] is trying to keep everything as normal as possible. Her sole focus is the kids.”
What we know about Christine’s temporary digs
The Academy Award winner has an extensive real estate portfolio. The couple has resided — with children Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13 — primary on a beachfront compound in a gated community in Carpinteria, Calif., which has been estimated to be worth at least $100 million. Kevin bought the Pacific-facing property in 1994, a decade before marrying Christine. Per their prenuptial agreement, Christine was to vacate the property, which has several houses, within 30 days of a divorce filing. It ended up taking a few months longer than that — and a judge ruling that she vacate the property by July 31.
But just down the road, Kevin owns another oceanfront property, which is where Christine is now temporarily staying. Kevin purchased that one — which features two small houses, a 500-foot private beach, equestrian facilities and a baseball field — in 2006, when he was newly married to his second wife. (It was one of the most expensive real estate transactions that year.) The goal was for the couple to build their dream house. He had designed a large home, pool and guesthouse, but they ultimately never moved, settling in at the compound instead.
We’ve gotten a glimpse of Christine’s temporary home base in recent years because in 2017, Kevin listed the gorgeous property, for $60 million. While the price was later dropped, to $55 million, it didn’t sell and he took it off the market.
Kevin also showed the property in a house tour with Entertainment Tonight. It has 360 degree views of water and mountains. He said the kids go there after school to play soccer with their friends on the expansive fields. He built Christine her own garden (complete with “Mommy’s garden” sign, which he talked about painting himself).
There are two houses on the 10-acre second property. The main house, on the water, is a 1942 home that is approximately 1,000 square feet. However, Christine is staying in more modern build further from the water. The house, which has a green roof, is about the same size (making it significantly smaller than their 4,860 square feet family home). The has a wooden deck around it with a grill. While Christine has stunning views of the water on one side, the other looks at a bunch of large storage containers that are housed on the ranch.
Kevin said earlier this year that he mortgaged the property to pay for his Horizon film series. (He added that his accountant had a “f***ing conniption fit” over his decision.)
What’s next for the exes
After Christine filed for divorce from Kevin on May 1, he paid her over $1.2 million, per his prenuptial agreement obligations, to use toward a new house. She resisted moving initially, but a judge implemented a Aug. 31 deadline. When Christine finds a new house, Kevin — who has said he didn’t want a divorce — will also pay the mortgage, taxes and insurance for the first year.
During their last divorce hearing, a judge ruled that Christine will receive $129,000 a month in temporary child support to keep the children in the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. While it is a hefty sum, it’s less than the nearly $250,000 a month she wanted.
Leading up to Christine move, there was drama around what she was allowed to remove from the family home. Kevin, who’s worth an estimated $200 million, took issue with what he felt was her vague request to take “some pots and pans.” She accused him of trying to “smear” her in the media, calling the “pots and pans” argument “trivial.”
“There is no mystery as to what I plan to remove,” she wrote in a filing. “Kevin will not be harmed by my removal of any of the items I have listed, and certainly not personal items such as my Peloton bike and family heirlooms.”
Last week, Kevin and their three children vacationed in Aspen, where he owns another sprawling compound, which is worth $250 million. The week before that, the kids were with Christine in Hawaii at a five-star hotel. She was also accompanied on the trip by a friend of the former couple, Josh Connor.
Next on the schedule in the bitter divorce is a Nov. 22 case management conference ahead of a Nov. 27 hearing to determine the validity/enforceability of their prenup.
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