The inevitable happened today: Kendra Wilkinson confirmed her marriage to Hank Baskett is over.
For over a month, the former Playboy centerfold shared emotional updates on social media, hinting that her marriage to the former athlete was nearing its end. On Monday, Kendra wept on Instagram Stories, telling fans, "Ten years. I did everything I could. It wasn't good enough. I will always love him. My heart will always remain open for him. I believed in forever, I really did. Guess it's just not meant to be. I am so scared but I have to get strong for my kids. I will."
"Thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me at the moment. Every little ounce of love helps. Thank you," the Kendra on Top star sobbed. "I never thought I'd see the day, really."
In the next slide, Kendra posted a photo from her wedding day, writing, "I believed." She also tweeted a message to her 2.68 million followers: "Today will be the saddest, scariest day of my life," she wrote. "Today I will have to be the strongest I've ever been. Today, my rebirth begins."
Kendra later shared a childhood photo on Instagram Stories, writing, "This little girl deserves the happiest life." Another slide teased the ensemble she wore to the courthouse Monday morning. "Picking the outfit was hard," the reality star confessed. "Shaking the whole time."
On Friday, she shared another update with fans on Instagram. "Today is the last day of my marriage to this beautiful man. I will forever love Hank and be open but for now we have chosen to go our own ways. I'm beyond sad and heartbroken because i did believe in forever, that's why i said yes but unfortunately too much fear has gotten in the way," she wrote. "We are both amazing parents and our kids will be happy n never know the difference other than seeing mama smile. Sometimes love looks funny. We are told to make sacrifices in life if it's true love well in this case it's me. I want to see happy Hank again... i miss that. Marriage was just a piece of paper and a piece of jewelry but our hearts will always be real. U will prob see us together a lot but it's because there's no hate. Love wins in this case it's just looks a little funny. Thank you Hank for a beautiful 8 years of marriage and 2 beautiful kids. I feel so thankful and blessed."
Kendra, 32, and Hank, 35, tied the knot at the Playboy Mansion in 2009 and share son Hank Baskett IV, 8, and daughter Alijah Baskett, 3. Their marriage was rocked by scandal in 2014 after Hank allegedly had an affair with a transgender model—while his wife was eight months pregnant. Hank denied it, telling People in 2015 it was a drug deal gone wrong. "I messed up," he said. "I put myself in a bad situation." As a result, Kendra kicked him out of the house and flushed her wedding rings down the toilet. "I couldn't control my emotions," she told People.
The couple tried to move past the incident...as cameras continued to roll on their reality show. Despite their best efforts, which included seeing a marriage counselor, they just couldn't move past the incident. Kendra "is heartbroken" over the end of her marriage, "but knows this is the best decision for her kids," a source told E! News Monday. "It has been an uphill battle these past few years with Hank, and ultimately all trust was lost." Ever since the affair rumors surfaced, their relationship "continued to crumble," the source said, noting it's now beyond repair. "Kendra made the decision that filing for divorce will be the only solution for the sake of their kids. Kendra is very upset that she has to go through this and is [being] publicly humiliated a second time," the source added. "Her only focus right now is her kids and being a good mom."
Another insider insisted the couple mutually decided to separate. "It wasn't one specific thing that caused the divorce to happen now; it was years in the making," the insider said. "It's definitely been a long time coming. They've been trying to work on this for a long time and it finally hit a roadblock." The exes "tried to work things out for so long for the sake of the kids, and they did want to be together," the insider said, adding, "They tried everything they could."
While Kendra has been airing their dirty laundry on social media for weeks, her husband has remained silent about their marital woes; in fact, Hank hasn't updated his Instagram account since November 2017. "Hank is probably not going to say anything publicly unless he makes a statement through a lawyer; he's just not that type of guy," the insider told E! News. But make no mistake—both stars "are both pretty upset about it; Kendra is just more publicly emotional."