Christine Baumgartner Biography

Interested in fashion and style from an early age, Christine Baumgartner began her professional career as a model. However, during her late 20s, she turned into a fashion designer out of necessity. According to her, she had decided to design her own handbags as the available ones, though functional, were not good enough for her. A regular computer user, she was looking for a fashionable as well as functional laptop carrier that would satisfy all her needs. She eventually made some sample designs herself, which impressed her then-boyfriend Kevin Costner who encouraged her to take the next step and become a designer. He also helped her set up her company about the same time they were planning their wedding. She teamed up with a friend named Tamara Muro and opened her business in 2004. They named their bag collection Cat Bag Couture, with 'Cat' being an acronym for Christine and Tamara. However, her friend left their joint venture due to family obligations, following which the CBC brand came to represent her own married name, Christine Baumgartner Costner. While she believes in hard work, she also acknowledges that her husband's fame helped her brand gain attention.

Christine Anne Baumgartner was born on March 4, 1974 in California, United States to Jim Baumgartner. She studied at the California State University in Fullerton, California, from where she completed her major in Business.

Christine Baumgartner had briefly met her future husband, Kevin Costner, at a golf course in the late 1980s. However, at the time Costner was married to his first wife Cindy Silva, with whom he has three children: Anne 'Annie' Clayton, Lily McCall, and Joseph 'Joe' Tedrick. It is not until they met again over a decade later in 1998 at a restaurant that they finally began dating. By the time, Costner had already divorced his first wife four years back and also had a few brief romantic involvements with Bridget Rooney, Birgit Cunningham and Elle Macpherson. The two exchanged their numbers, following which Costner told her that he will call her in two weeks. He later told 'People' in 2003 that he did not realize at the time that it could be considered an insult by a woman. Nevertheless, they kept in touch and eventually began dating despite a huge 20-year age gap.

They had a brief falling out in 2002, which according to his friends, was caused by the actor's unwillingness to have more kids. He revealed to 'Parade' in 2012 that she had told him that she would wait for him, "but not long". He soon came to his senses and got back together with her. They got engaged in 2003 and tied the knot on September 25, 2004, during a star-studded ceremony at his 165-acre ranch outside Aspen, Colorado. Costner reached the location in a horse-drawn carriage, while Baumgartner arrived in a vintage green pickup truck. After taking their vows by a stream, they joined their guests, including Tim Allen, Don Johnson and Mary McDonnell, under a nearby tent to celebrate.

Christine Baumgartner gave birth to their first son, Cayden Wyatt Costner, on May 6, 2007. After his birth, Costner told 'People' that he was worried that he might not be alive to raise his child due to his old age. Since then, the couple has welcomed two more children; son Hayes Logan Costner (born on February 12, 2009) and daughter Grace Avery Costner (born on June 2, 2010). Apart from his six children from his two wives, Costner also has a son named Liam Timothy Costner from his brief relationship with Bridget Rooney. While Costner often refuses to pick his favorite among his children and showers each of them with love, he told 'Good Housekeeping' in 2007 that he was closer to his daughters. Baumgartner once told eonline.com that she and her husband are not very keen on celebrating particular dates, like Valentine's Day, and often go out a day before or after.