As everyone knows by now, Kim Kardashian's 2016 took a turn for the hellish when she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris at the beginning of October.
That one experience would have been more than enough to leave a nasty scar on her psyche, and Kim has since opened up about what a struggle it was to rebuild her sense of security and feel like herself again. Though, as she has also said, she'll never quite be the same.
As she tearfully told Ellen DeGeneres last month, "I know this sounds crazy, but I know that was meant to happen to me. I don't want to start crying, but I feel like that was so meant to happen to me. I'm such a different person."
On top of that personal trauma, which made the already devoted mother of two just focus that much more on the importance of family, Kim's husband, Kanye West, also ended up experiencing a crisis they didn't see coming. While Kim was still on her self-imposed hiatus from social media, Kanye was hospitalized for mental exhaustion during the week before Thanksgiving, all of a sudden shifting the focus to his emotional well-being while his wife was still barely putting the pieces back together for herself.
So, Kim immediately shifted gears (fairly literally, canceling an appearance in New York that would have been her first public event since the robbery and flying right back to L.A.) and redirected her energies toward Kanye, supporting him while he recovered.
A few weeks later, they were attending holiday parties, spending time with their kids and otherwise approaching 2017 looking—if not quite acting—like their old selves (well, minus Kanye's blond hair). Then Kim returned to social media on Jan. 3, Kim was in New York to attend the Yeezy Season 5 show, and all Kimye systems looked to be a go again.
But now we know that the couple were putting on an extremely strong front for the cameras, at least at first, because life certainly didn't go back to normal overnight.
E! News has learned that, as far as everything is going now, they're doing well and are focused on giving North and Saint a little sibling. Moreover they're embarking on yet another business venture, collaborating on children's clothing line called TheKidsSupply.
Eyebrows were raised when Kanye opted not to accompany Kim to New York for the 2017 Met Gala last Monday, the first time she had ever gone solo. But as a source told us before the event, the Life of Pablo artist is still resting up and just wasn't interested in the hype that the Met Gala always entails.
"He's at home," a Vivienne Westwood-clad Kim, who had considered skipping the party but ultimately didn't want to miss it, reiterated to Vogue on the red carpet. "He's been taking some time off and really loving that." She then inquired, "Have you seen my sisters? That's the question—are they inside? We're all solo, so we were texting on the way here."
So instead of having a date night, Kim spent time with Kylie and Kendall Jenner, took insta-classic group selfies in the bathroom and enjoyed the accolades for her crisp white dress and subtle hair and makeup.
Meanwhile, Kanye was perfectly supportive of Kim going on her own, knowing how much she loves getting dolled up for the fashion event of the year. But it's been a long road to fine for the couple, who will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on May 24.
Kanye had rushed offstage mid-show when he first heard the news about Kim's robbery and was waiting for her when she immediately flew from Paris to New York, he was so concerned for her well-being. But his hospitalization the following month meant that Kim had no choice but to speed up her own recovery, which understandably pulled her attention away from Kanye at times.
Feeling adrift was indeed a new experience for the couple, who once they inevitably got together in 2012 had fallen in love and never looked back.
The welcomed North on June 15, 2013, Kanye proposed in grand fashion on Kim's 33rd birthday on Oct. 21, and the next May they got married in Italy—also in the utmost of grand fashions. Saint was born on Dec. 5, 2015, and through it all, there hasn't been any obstacle that's proved too much for them to work through together.
Back when Kanye was in the hospital, a source told E! News that Kim was "just holding things down, like Kanye did for her when she needed support. Kim is doing much better and is strong. This shall pass, she believes."
And pass it did, with the couple committing to working on their emotional well-being—Kim went to counseling to help with the aftermath of the robbery, and she and Kanye attended a Tony Robbins seminar at USC in March, the talking points all about thinking positively and improving one's own outlook on life.
A few days after their self-help session, they had a romantic, three-hour dinner at Providence, one of the best restaurants in L.A., where they reserved a room just for the two of them.
A source told us that Kanye overall has been doing much better as he seeks more balance in his life—which has included really being there for Kim and their kids. Being with his children has always been his safe haven, the insider explained, and their unconditional love means the world to him. And before traveling to New York, Kim had been a bit under the weather and Kanye was focused on taking care of her.
Kim and Kanye spent their second anniversary in Italy last year and she marked the day on Instaram, writing, "Happy 2 year anniversary to the love of my life! You make me so happy! I love you so much!!!"
While Mr. and Mrs. West may be inclined to have a more low-key celebration this month, the sentiment remains the same.