Kristin Cavallari: My divorce from Jay Cutler ‘didn’t happen overnight’

Kristin Cavallari’s marriage to Jay Cutler had been floundering for years before they split earlier this year.

The reality star, 33, revealed although fans may have been shocked by the couple’s breakup announcement in April, it was a long time coming.

“It didn’t happen overnight,” Cavallari told People. ”We tried really, really hard for years and years. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.”

She says that producers on the couple’s reality show “Very Cavallari” were cognizant of their issues but didn’t put it in the show, which aired from 2018 to 2020.

The marriage really hit a low point during filming the final season and she says the couple “definitely kept a lot of stuff private” but “producers saw stuff, but they didn’t put it in the show — which is good, because I don’t want my kids to ever (see that).”

They share sons Camden, 8, and Jaxon, 6, and daughter Saylor, 4.

After news of their split, things turn a nasty turn when Cavallari accused the ex-Chicago Bears player of “inappropriate marital conduct” in divorce papers but  says their relationship is now much smoother.

“I still care so much about him and talk to him almost every day,” she said. “We have three kids together. He’s going to be in my life forever.”

“A year ago I felt like I was drowning,” the “Uncommon James” designer confessed. “That’s not to say I don’t have really hard days, but for the past however many years, I’ve been putting everybody else first. I’m going to focus on me for a minute, look inward and figure out what I ultimately want out of life.”

Cavallari explained that she’s “proud for making this decision. It wore at me every single day for years. I feel like my whole world is opening up now because of it, and I’m just feeling the best I’ve felt in a really long time. I’m really excited about the future all around.”

Her new cookbook “True Comfort” comes out on September 29.