chrishell stause and justin hartley© Photo: Instagram

Chrishell Stause and ex-husband Justin Hartley: a closer look at their wedding, relationship and divorce

The Dancing with the Stars contestant was married to the actor for two years

Content Managing Editor
September 14, 2020

Chrishell Stause made waves as the glamorous new realtor who joined the cast of Netflix's Selling Sunset, but fans will also recognise the American actress on Dancing with the Stars. She's been practising her spins ahead of her Monday night debut, when she'll be dancing to Pink's Raise Your Glass, a song she credits as "an anthem for anyone that has ever felt like a misfit".

MORE: Chrishell Stause looks incredible in bikini on holiday with girlfriends

While the ever-positive star is known for her sunny personality, Chrishell has had a particularly tough past 12 months, which involved divorcing This Is Us actor Justin Hartley at the end of 2019 and losing her mum to lung cancer this summer. Her dad also died of cancer in April 2019. Let's take a look at Chrishell and Justin's love story…

WATCH: Chrishell Stause makes a beautiful bride in her soap days

Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley start dating

Chrishell, 39, and Justin, 43, officially confirmed their romance in January 2014. They had met when Chrishell worked with Justin's ex-wife Lindsay Hartley on the set of All My Children and began dating two years later. Justin and Lindsay, who share 16-year-old daughter Isabella, had split in 2012.

MORE: Take a tour inside Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim's mansion

Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley's fairytale wedding

Chrishell and Justin announced their engagement in July 2016 and went on to marry in October 2017. The couple tied the knot at Malibu's Calamigos Ranch on 28 October 2017, with Chrishell looking absolutely stunning in a Monique Lhuillier gown. During the open-air ceremony, which was covered by People magazine, the bride made her entrance to Beyonce's XO and walked down the petal-covered aisle, stopping to give Justin's daughter Isabella a hug.

© Photo: Instagram

Chrishell at her wedding dress fitting

MORE: 9 celebrity brides who rocked short wedding dresses

The bride and groom exchanged handwritten vows under a canopy of trees, in front of their 75 guests including the groom's TV family. The wedding party then dined alfresco on a meal of roast chicken and prime rib, before Justin and Chrishell's first dance to The Contours' Do You Love Me.

"They don't make them any better than Justin, and I could not be more thrilled to officially be Mrs. Hartley!" Chrishell told People at the time, adding: "The wedding exceeded anything I could have ever imagined."

© Photo: Instagram

A close-up of her beautiful gown 

Do Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley have children?

The couple do not have children together, although Chrishell became a stepmother to Justin's teenage daughter Isabella when they married. Isabella acted as a flower girl and ring bearer at her dad's wedding, with a friend of the couple's telling People: "The whole wedding was really centred around how Bella and Chrishell are the two women in Justin's life. [They] were saying Chrishell was the last puzzle piece for their family to be complete. It was awesome to see how the three of them are such a tight-knit unit."

Chrishell seemed to hint she was ready for children in season two of Selling Sunset, when talking to her co-star and mother-of-two Maya Vander. Of her decision to start a family, she said: "I get asked every day. I just feel like it's a private thing so I'll say, 'Oh, we don't know yet.' But they'll be like, 'Well, how old are you?' You don't have to do something just because people tell you that's what you're supposed to do. Make sure that it's right for you and at this point, we haven't decided what's right for us yet."

She then added: "I could totally see myself diving into that life and doing that."

© Photo: Getty Images

Chrishell says she was blind-sided by her husband

Justin Hartley's decision to divorce Chrishell Stause 'came out of the blue'

On their first wedding anniversary in 2018, Justin paid tribute to his wife, writing on Instagram: "The best day, the best friends and family, the best wife! Happy first anniversary to my @chrishellhartley!! Let's do 300 million more!"

MORE: The famous exes of Selling Sunset cast

However, by the following year, the couple were calling it quits. According to Chrishell, Justin's decision to file for divorce came out of the blue – and via a text. The actress was "blind-sided" and distraught, scenes of which played out on Selling Sunset.

© Photo: Instagram

Chrishell talks about her divorce on Selling Sunset

Justin filed for divorce in November 2019 citing "irreconcilable differences", although he listed the date of their separation as July. Chrishell, however, cited the date of their separation as November, when Justin filed. They had attended a slew of public events together from July to November, suggesting that their marriage was not on the rocks.

Documents also show that the actress is seeking spousal support and asking her estranged husband to pay for her lawyer's fees, which Justin is contending.

Chrishell Stause addresses her divorce on Selling Sunset

Chrishell says she was blind-sided by the divorce and addressed the shock split in season three of Selling Sunset. "When I think of marriage, I think you work on things with people. They're not perfect, no one is. You work on it. You talk about it," she said. "You don't go out looking for greener grass. Sometimes you have to water the grass that you have, and that's what marriage is."

MORE: When is Netflix releasing Selling Sunset season four?

© Photo: Getty Images

The couple pictured one month before Justin filed for divorce

While speaking to her friend and co-star Mary in her hotel room, after moving out of her marital home, a tearful Chrishell explained that Justin texted her saying he was filing for divorce. "We had a fight that morning over the phone... we didn't talk things through, and before we had a chance to figure anything out, he filed.

"I found out because he texted me that we were filed. Forty-five minutes later, the world knew." She added: "I talked to him right after [the text] because I thought that must be a joke, but that was the end of communication. What do you say after that?"

The star has never shared the reason behind her divorce, although she did admit on Selling Sunset that Justin's sudden rise to fame had "changed" him. Days after their split, Chrishell shared a cryptic post on Instagram, writing: "It's hard to watch people change right in front of you. But it's even harder remembering who they used to be."

Who is Justin Hartley dating?

The actor is currently dating his former The Young and the Restless co-star, Sofia Pernas. Chrishell also starred on the soap and the two ladies were friendly on social media, often commenting on each other's posts.

© Photo: Instagram

Justin is dating his former co-star Sofia Pernas

In a Valentine's Day post Justin had written for Chrishell, Sofia replied: "Yes!!!" Chrishell also wished Sofia a happy birthday, replying to one of her photos: "You are the absolute CUTEST!!!! Happy birthdayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!"

The pair appear to have started dating in early 2020, shortly after Justin filed for divorce. While the lovebirds are yet to share pictures with each other on Instagram, Sofia has uploaded a Story of what appeared to be her boyfriend's hand wrapped around a cigar and a drink.

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