Lingering feelings? Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler called it quits nearly two years ago, but their divorce still isn’t finalized — and there may be a reason why.
“Jay is still very much hung up on Kristin,” an insider exclusively tells Us Weekly of the former NFL player, 38. “He still has a lot of love for her and wishes things weren’t as they are.”
The Hills alum, 35, and the former Chicago Bears quarterback tied the knot in June 2013 after three years of dating. The estranged couple share sons Camden, 9, and Jaxon, 7, and daughter Saylor, 6. In April 2020, the Uncommon James founder and Cutler announced their decision to divorce in a joint statement shared via Instagram.
“We have nothing but love and respect for one another and are deeply grateful for the years shared, memories made, and the children we are so proud of,” they wrote at the time. “This is just the situation of two people growing apart.”
Both Cavallari and the Vanderbilt University alum have been linked to other people since their split, but the first source tells Us that Cutler is still hoping for a reunion with his estranged wife.
“They are coparenting well — he just wishes they were still together,” the insider explains. “He deeply cares about her.”
The former Very Cavallari star, for her part, revealed that she and her ex tried to make things work one more time after announcing their divorce, but the spark wasn’t still there. “Jay and I actually went on a couple of dates, like, months and months and months ago,” the Colorado native said during an October 2021 episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe‘s “Off the Vine” podcast. “But then I was, like, it’s not there for me anymore.”
Cavallari went on to say that the dates only further confirmed her desire to end the relationship. “The thing with Jay is, we aren’t getting our divorce because of love lost, which made it really challenging because we were crazy about each other,” she explained. “And so I just decided I didn’t want to be in a toxic relationship anymore and I had to break it off. … Going back and dating him a little bit made me reaffirm it, like, ‘No, I know that I’m doing the right decision.’”
While she’s not interested in rekindling their romance, the Laguna Beach veteran is happy to coparent with Cutler, especially when it comes to the holidays. “For me, it’s just about putting the kids first,” the reality star exclusively told Us in November 2021. “The kids are the only thing that matters and what’s best for them. That’s how I look at it. You’ve just got to make the most of it.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper