Jonathan Scott Reveals How His Devastating Divorce Helped Him Appreciate His New Love

Emily Strohm
Updated

Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott open up about fame, overcoming failure, and why they’re ready for marriage and babies! Subscribe now for an exclusive look into their next chapter — only in PEOPLE!

Jonathan Scott has happily been dating girlfriend Jacinta Kuznetsov for more than a year, but the Property Brothers star has also had his fair share of heartbreak.

In 2007 he wed Kelsy, an airline-crew scheduler, but two years later the relationship fell apart.

“Being married was a huge part of my life,” he says in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “I spent six-and-a-half years with someone, and it didn’t work. Anyone in a long-term relationship knows how hard that is.”

  • For more on Jonathan and Drew Scott, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

Jonathan and Drew, both 39, get candid in their new memoir, It Takes Two: Our Story (out Sept. 5), about the difficult period.

“It’s not easy seeing someone you love going through a really hard time,” Drew says. “When Jonathan was with his ex, we didn’t see him as much as we wanted to. Our family is very, very close, so to bring him back into the fold and let him know we’re all here for support was a big thing. I said, ‘Nope, you are not sitting at home. Get your butt out here. You’re coming with me, and we’re hanging out.’ ”

Looking back, Jonathan says the experience has helped him appreciate his relationship now.

“After that I felt defeated, but I learned a lot,” he says. “I don’t think I could enjoy what I have today with Jacinta if I hadn’t gone through a failed marriage.”

Now, Jonathan and Kuznetsov, 29, are living together between Las Vegas and Toronto, and they’re also house hunting for a place in New York City.

“We definitely want to get married and have kids, but we’re just finding joy in our relationship and still learning about each other as well,” says Jonathan. “We’ve only been dating a year and a half, but I don’t think we’ll wait seven years like Drew did before we decide what we’re going to do.”