They shocked fans with a surprise split announcement this past weekend.
But now it is emerging that the problems in Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler’s seven-year marriage have been brewing for a long time.
New claims state that reality star Kristin never got along with her in laws, and also struggled with her retired NFL star husband’s ‘temper’.
‘They didn’t gel from the get-go,’ a source told Us Weekly, of the mother of three’s relationship with Jay’s parents, Jack and Sandy Cutler.
Split: Kristin Cavallari ‘didn’t get along with estranged husband Jay Cutler’s parents and reached breaking point with his temper’; the two are seen on their show, Very Cavallari
Meanwhile a separate report states that Kristin was unable to cope with Jay’s temper.
A source told the magazine: ‘He’s a shouter.’
And they added that Jay’s anger was not kept behind closed doors, to Kristin’s embarrassment.
‘He didn’t have an issue about calling her out or yelling at her in front of other people.’
And they added: ‘There have been instances while filming where he would be mean to her, embarrass her, make her feel bad or storm off. He was never pleasant to the crew or others filming.’
The revelations are at an odds with the couple’s initial hopes for a friendly divorce.
They announced their split with a joint statement, pledging ‘we have nothing but love and respect for one another’.
Family: Kristin with the three children she shares with Jay, in a photo posted in March
But the pair, together for a total of ten years, have been unsuccessful.
Kristin claims Jay is ‘punishing’ her financially, by refusing to release ‘her portion of their funds,’ so that she can buy her own place.
According to documents filed by Kristin, 33, and obtained by TMZ, Jay, 37, is refusing to leave their marital home in Tennessee but is also trying to prevent his estranged wife from purchasing her own house, something they first discussed last year when they were having problems in their marriage.
Kristin claims that last year she started the buying process when the couple were having difficulties but she put the process on hold when they decided to give their marriage another shot.
However, after they agreed that ‘divorce was inevitable’, Kristin tried to move ahead with buying her new pad but Jay told her he would not release the funds.
As they were: The pair are seen in a file shot prior to their split
In the new court filing, Kristin claims that living in the same house has ‘created a bad environment’ for their children, Camden, seven, Jaxon, five, and Saylor, four, because Jay has been trying to pick fights with her in front of them.
She also alleges he has tried to make her accept an unfair custody arrangement
It was previously claimed that Kristin was ‘blindsided’ by Jay’s filing for divorce and the sudden move damaged their ‘amicable’ negotiations.
A source told E! News: ‘She had hoped they could work things out more amicably and they were off to a good start before Jay pulled the trigger.’
In Jay’s filing, he stated he was the ‘available at home parent and the primary caretaker of the parties’ minor children’, despite reportedly having previously agreed to equal care of their brood, and so Kristen was further ‘caught off guard’.
The source added: ‘His filing was basically trying to take her out of the equation so she had to respond strongly. She’s not going to be taken out of the equation when it comes to her children.’
Another source added: ‘Jay was playing for the NFL a majority of their marriage, for him to call himself the primary caregiver just because he is retired and she is working is not accurate.’
The Very Cavallari star is now working to seek full custody of the children because she ‘feels she can raise the kids in the safest environment.’
Prior to Jay’s divorce petition, he and Kristin had been ‘staying in the house three days on and three days off’ so the kids could stay in their home but now the former couple are ‘on edge’ and both are living in ‘separate parts’ of their Nashville abode.
According to the documents, Kristin listed their date of separation as April 7, whilst in his own papers, Jay dated their split as April 21.
Announcing their split at the weekend, the pair each posted the same statement.
They wrote: ‘With great sadness, after 10 years together we have come to a loving conclusion to get a divorce. 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. This is just the situation of two people growing apart. We ask everyone to respect our privacy as we navigate this difficult time within our family. (sic)’