Kevin Costner’s ex Christine Baumgartner DENIES actor’s friend who gave her $20K is her boyfriend… following their Hawaii vacation

Kevin Costner’s ex Christine Baumgartner testified that the man she vacationed with in Hawaii last month is not her boyfriend.

The Yellowstone star, 68, and Baumgartner, 49, both attended a divorce hearing in Santa Barbara on Thursday, with the actor’s estranged wife giving tearful testimony.

During her time on the stand, Christine addressed her trip to Hawaii in July, where she was photographed with Costner’s old banker friend Josh Connor, a wealthy financier who lives near the star’s mansion in Carpinteria, California.

Christine admitted that even though Josh gave her $20,000, the pair were not dating and she was sharing a room with a best friend while in Hawaii.

Earlier, Costner said Christine was misleading about her financial situation, making a note of $20,000 that “her boyfriend recently gave her.”

An excited Baumgartner spoke to Connor about her two recent vacations to Hawaii in March and July, whom she described as a “family friend.”

Connor, who lives in Santa Barbara, is an old friend of Costner’s and recently divorced his wife Patricia.

In the lawsuits filed Thursday morning, Costner accused his estranged wife of being in a relationship with him, but when Baumgartner’s attorney asked her outright if he was her boyfriend, she replied firmly, “No.”

She was also asked about the $20,000 Connor gave her and told the court that $10,000 was given to her mother “because she was worried about her house.”

She tearfully admitted that Costner paid her mother $5,000 a month for “years,” but the payments stopped when they separated.

Baumgartner said she has since returned the remaining $10,000 to Connor “because I don’t need it right now.”

Last month, Christine and Josh were pictured enjoying a nice coastal walk together and some time in the sun on the beach.

The two seemed to be having a good time, and both Christine and Connor were grinning from ear to ear.

A bystander told DailyMail.com exclusively, “She sat with the man at a corner table. He was handsome.

They started sitting across the table from each other and she laughed a lot at what he said.

She showed him pictures from her phone and he sat down next to her so they both faced the water. It’s hard to tell if there was anything wrong with them, but at one point I saw, he put his hand on her leg. That was the only actual physical interaction.

“Her suite is right next to that man’s suite. He paid for the drinks in his room and they left together just before sunset.’

Sources with knowledge of Kevin and Christine’s divorce drama told the publication that she and Josh have been particularly close lately.

However, an insider claimed that there is “absolutely no romantic relationship” between the two. “They’ve been good friends for years,” the source said.

Baumgartner broke down at the booth on Thursday when she laid out the couple’s lavish $11 million-a-year lifestyle, which includes a $175 million beachfront home and a 160,000-acre ranch in Aspen.

It was reported earlier in the day that Costner claimed his ex had become so unreasonable during their divorce battle that she had launched a “ruthless jihad” against him.

The couple, who split on May 1, are embroiled in a battle over child support payments over the children Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13 – with the actor claiming in new legal documents that he has lost more than paid $1 million. .

Christine, who introduced herself to the court as “Costner,” moved last month from the couple’s beachfront property into a nearby $40,000-a-month rental.

Although luxurious, she says the new house doesn’t offer a “comparable lifestyle” for her children and is asking for extra money to get a house that is “more than a home, it’s an experience,” like the marital property .

During his statement two weeks ago, the Dances with Wolves star estimated his monthly living expenses at $240,000, but he doesn’t want to pay his ex more than $60,000 a month.

The mother-of-three became agitated during cross-examination when Costner’s legal team repeatedly pointed out features in her new home that were similar to those in the matrimonial home.

They are trying to prove that the property is “comparable” and that she does not need $161,592 monthly child support.

The figure is new and was presented to the court Thursday morning and is a reduction from the $175,000 she had asked for.

In the documents from a hearing Thursday TMZ Costner alleges that Christine secretly stole $105,000 from him to pay her lawyers, and doubled down on claims that she “padded” her child support bills to fund plastic surgery, private trainers, and “unallocated credit card charges” for her.

He claims that her plastic surgery bills total $188,500 a year. Costner claims Christine actually needs about $63,000 a month in child support.

Costner alleges that Christine engaged in “baseless character attacks” on him and could get a job, saying, “She has no plans to seek employment or engage in any income-generating activity” and claims that she demands enough child support not to be able to do so. to work.

The hearing will conclude on Friday, where a judge will decide how much child support Costner will pay.

The feuding couple had been married for 19 years, and Costner was reportedly left “overwhelmed” after his glamorous wife filed for divorce in May, citing his heavy workload.

Since then, the two have exchanged fights over where each will live, the validity of their prenup and the eye-watering amount of child support Baumgartner is demanding.