Catt Sadler Says She's 'Found Love' Following 'Heartbreaking' Divorce: 'He Lights Up My Life'

Following a painful divorce, Catt Sadler has found love again.

The former E! News co-host, 43, shared a reflective blog post on her website, The Cattwalk, on Dec. 31, in which she addressed the ups and downs that she faced throughout 2017, including her split from ex-husband Rhys David Thomas and the difficult decision to leave the network that she called home for almost 12 years after she learned that her co-host, Jason Kennedy, was making “double” her salary.

“The year that didn’t kill me. I got divorced. My grandfather died. A close family member went to rehab. My eldest son was diagnosed with ADD. That meant doctors and more doctors compounded with his heart issues. This drug, that drug. I cried more tears than anyone would ever know,” she began.

She continued, “Professionally, I got another show – amazing – but that meant starting my work day three hours earlier each morning; exhaustion was a familiar feeling. Negotiations began. Negotiations stagnated. Negotiations collapsed. I would decide to leave my job after twelve years.”

But despite the trails that she endured throughout 2017, Sadler, who shares sons Arion Boyd, 12, and Austin Boyd, 16 with ex-husband Kyle Boyd (they were married from 2001-07), admitted that she is “happy” and “genuinely at peace.”

“My children are my two proudest achievements and my love for them is larger than the entire galaxy. Nothing, nothing means more,” she wrote.

“And speaking of love, I found that, too. I have a new best friend who makes me laugh every single day,” she revealed, referencing her new beau, Nick LaKind. “He lights up my life. He is also sober and his commitment to healthy living astonishes me. He teaches me. I am growing.”

In August, LaKind shared a picture of the duo at a wedding, which he captioned, “wedding vibes.” And currently, Sadler is vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with LaKind.

Sadler’s new relationship with LaKind follows the finalization of her “bittersweet” divorce after five years of marriage from entrepreneur Thomas in spring 2017.

“Divorce is never easy, I don’t care who you are or what the circumstances are. It’s a very, very heavy feeling — and at the same time it feels like a weight has been lifted,” she previously told PEOPLE. Sadler and Thomas split in January 2016, and Sadler filed for divorce in March of that year.

“When you want the best for somebody and the best out of your marriage but you’ve exhausted every possibility, it gets to the point where you have to let one another be free,” she said. “So it was very mutual in that sense.”

Since the split, Sadler said she was doing her best to move on and date again, though she admitted she would not be “getting married anytime soon — and I’m not sure if I ever will again.”

“I’ve been doing hot yoga and reading and working on myself and everything else in my life is going so well, so as far as dating goes, I’m wide open. My heart is wide open, and I’m not scared because I feel like I’m in a really good place,” she said, and later added, “Even though it’s hard and heartbreaking, I don’t think you can stay in that headspace for too long before you figure out what’s next.”