Caitlyn Jenner has described the end of her marriage to ex-wife, Kris, revealing certain rules were in place related to what she describes as her “gender identity issues”.
In a new interview with Makers, the video series shining a light on trailblazing women, Caitlyn discusses her relationship with Kris, insisting that her transition wasn’t the reason their marriage ended.
She explains: “Our relationship went a long way, Kris and I. We were together for 23 years. We had a wonderful time, Kris is a really good person, but we did grow apart. And it came near the end where we were both really not happy... where she was at or where I’m at.
“I didn’t leave to go to transition, or do any of that stuff, although that certainly is part of it, because it’s part of me. I left because the relationship just wasn’t working, and our kids were just about all raised. Kris went out, found me another house, decorated the house in Malibu, where I was comfortable. She was great in that way, but we were both kind of ready to go our separate directions.”
Opening up about their relationship, Caitlyn continues: “The rules, kind of, with Kris and I [were] don’t dress up, certainly, around the house. If you really feel the need to do that, when you’re on the road, take stuff, and so I did that for years. I’d go on the road for speaking engagements and take a bunch of stuff, dress up at the hotel, walk around, do whatever I wanted to do, just to feel a little bit better about myself. And I kind of dealt with it that way.
“Kris and I had dressed up a few times at the beginning, but then she didn’t want any more part of that, and I respected that, and kind of kept it away. But it was always there. A lot of times, when you have somebody in your life that’s diminishing that, you can deal with it, but it gets tougher and tougher and tougher in time.”
Describing the impact Kris had on her career in the early stages of their marriage, Caitlyn goes on: “During the 80s, I really wasn’t motivated at all about work, I couldn’t care less. Kris and I get married, I get four more kids, and yeah. I’m gonna have to get back to work. Kris took over the management position of that.
“Kris had a tremendous impact on my career. I found her as kind of a Beverly Hills housewife, but deep down inside she was a really strong businesswoman. Her friends were all strong business people, so she kind of learned by osmosis, and so she was ready to go.”
Kris and Caitlyn - then still known publicly as Bruce - announced their split in October 2013, divorcing several months later, shortly before her interview with Diane Sawyer where she came out as transgender.
The two initially had a strained relationship in the weeks that followed, largely due to unfavorable comments Caitlyn made about her ex-wife in her interview with Vanity Fair, though it’s thought they’ve since buried the hatchet, with the former Olympian making several appearances in the most recent season of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’.
Watch more clips from Caitlyn’s Makers interview below: