Justin Hartley's Wife Chrishell Stause 'Reeling' After He 'Suddenly Filed' for Divorce: Source
Justin Hartley‘s wife Chrishell Stause has not yet come to grips with her husband’s decision to file for divorce.
On Nov. 22, PEOPLE confirmed that Stause, 38, and Hartley, 42, had split after two years of marriage. Now, a source close to them both tells PEOPLE, “Chrishell is still reeling.”
“Yes, they’d had some problems, but she certainly never thought he would just go and suddenly file for divorce, and not even try to save things,” the source says. “He’s reached a new level of fame thanks to the show and he doesn’t want to close many doors right now, and that’s not necessarily the path Chrishell is looking to take. She thought babies would happen soon after they got married, but it just hasn’t worked out.”
PEOPLE is out to reps for both actors.
According to the source, Hartley’s divorce filing has Stause feeling as though “Justin never took their marriage seriously at all.”
“Justin has already been married, and divorced, once before. But Chrishell had been in other serious relationships in the past, like with Matthew Morrison, and didn’t take them further because she was always adamant that when she got married, it would be forever — she was only going to do this once. It’s partly why she and Justin waited so long to get married: she wanted to be sure that when they said their vows, they meant them. And she did — she would have stayed forever,” the source adds.
“She was his staunchest supporter and would’ve had his back through anything,” the source explains.
An additional insider points out that Stause is not the only one upset that their relationship has ended.
“Justin is obviously very disappointed that his marriage didn’t work,” the insider says.
The insider adds that the couple’s work schedules often kept them apart: “Justin and Chrishell are both focused on their busy careers.”
On Monday, Stause shared a cryptic quote on Instagram about dealing with change, less than two weeks after news broke that the This Is Us star filed for divorce.
“It’s hard to watch people change right in front of you. But it’s even harder remembering who they used to be,” read the quote, attributed to author Nishan Panwar.
In documents obtained by PEOPLE, the This Is Us star cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their divorce, and listed the date of their separation as July 8, 2019 — despite the fact that the pair attended the Emmy Awards together on Sept. 22, the Veuve Clicquot Polo Match in Los Angeles on Oct. 5, and a Hollywood Reporter-sponsored pre-Golden Globes party on Nov. 14.
Stause shared some photos from the Golden Globes event on Nov. 15, writing in her caption, “Amazing time with this group last night at the @hollywoodreporter @moetchandon Golden Globe party!” In the series of snaps, she and Hartley posed alongside his NBC co-star Chris Sullivan and Superstore actress Lauren Ash.
The former couple also attended a friend’s birthday party together earlier in November, according to Stause’s Instagram.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Stause and Hartley had “been having trouble for a while,” adding, “in many ways, they’re somewhat fundamentally incompatible.”
A post shared by Chrishell (@chrishellhartley) on Dec 2, 2019 at 9:15am PST
“Chrishell is really ready to just settle down and be a wife and stay-at-home mom and was hoping to start a family relatively soon,” the source said. “Justin wants that but also doesn’t think it has to happen in the near future and is at a point in his career where he wants to really be able to explore all the options that are coming his way.”
RELATED: Justin Hartley and Wife Chrishell Go ‘Somewhere They Haven’t Heard of This Is Us’
The duo tied the knot in 2017 in a rustic and romantic ceremony at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California, exchanging vows in front of 75 of their closest friends and family members.
Hartley was previously married to soap star Lindsay Korman —with whom he still has joint physical custody of their 15-year-old daughter Isabella — from 2004 to 2012.
