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.