How Kevin Costner’s first marriage fell apart over rumored affair
Kevin Costner will soon be a single man again since his second wife, Christine Baumgartner, just filed for divorce after 18 years of marriage.
However, the first time the “Yellowstone” star was in this position — with his first wife, Cindy Silva — it ended up costing him a pretty penny and resulted in one of the most expenses Hollywood divorces of all time.
Costner was married to Silva from 1978 to 1994, and the lengthy marriage ended over rumblings that he had been unfaithful.
According to a People cover story from Nov. 7, 1994, the “Dances with Wolves” actress decided to end the relationship as rumors that her then-husband had cheated with a woman named Michelle Amaral on the Hawaiian set of his movie “Waterworld” began to heat up.
It was reported at the time that Costner had a romantic fling with the then-35-year-old hula dancer, who was a performer at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, where the sci-flick was shot.
Amaral was a married mother of three kids, and her husband, Albert, previously denied the affair chatter, according to the magazine.
Whether or not those rumors were true, an insider pointed out that Costner may have had a wondering eye for a while.
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know about him [and other women],” a studio source said in the People story.
Just before the news of his first divorce broke, Costner admitted to the New York Daily News that marriage was “hard.”
“The temptations are pretty strong — and there’s a hungry world out there waiting for you to fall. So you can’t even dabble without paying a huge price,” the “Bodyguard” star told the newspaper, according to People.
“I try to conduct my life with a certain amount of dignity and discretion — but marriage is a hard, hard gig.”
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Aside from his alleged dalliance with Amaral, there were reports that Costner had previously cheated on Silva with a nightclub receptionist named Sheri Stewart while shooting his 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in the UK.
The actor reportedly dismissed the gossip, saying at the time that it was “off the wall” but noted, “I worry about the effect of fame on my family and losing what I’ve got.”
Costner and Silva did not address the affair in the joint statement they released to announce the dissolution of their marriage.
They said at the time, “After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage. We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached.”
Cindy reportedly walked away with an $80 million settlement and shared custody of their kids: Annie, Lily and Joe.
