Relations were said to be frostier than the Antarctic following their split earlier this year. So, it was a shock to see Kim Kardashian wish her ex Kanye West a happy birthday on Instagram last week – with a sweet picture of their children and the caption, “Love U for Life!”
But, according to insiders, after a rocky few months, the former couple have been taking a far more peaceful approach to their divorce – and seem to be communicating better than they ever did before they split.
Apparently, Kanye – who’s rumoured to be dating model Irina Shayk after they were seen together in France – has been making trips to their former LA home, where Kim still lives with their four kids, North, eight, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and two-year-old Psalm. And, so far, their peace talks are going, er, very peacefully indeed.
“Kanye stays for an hour or so each time, because they want this to be a gradual process,” says an insider close to the famous exes.
“There’s still a lot of issues to be resolved with splitting assets and agreeing to a firm custody agreement, and that will be done through mediation when the time is right. For now, they just want to establish some ground rules and keep things civil for the kids.”
CHECK OUT Kim Kardashian's ex-boyfriends and husbands - where are they now?
Kim Kardashian ex boyfriends and husbands - where are they now? (slider)
1 of 17Damon Thomas and Kim Kardashian
Real Kim fans will actually know that she first got married in 2000 when she was just 19 years old. She eloped with then boyfriend Damon Thomas - who is 10 years older than her – but they didn't last and split in 2003. Kim has since said that she was actually on ecstasy during their wedding.
2 of 17Damon Thomas - now
We're not going to lie the music producer has pretty turned into the ghost unlike Kim.
3 of 17Ray J and Kim Kardashian
Other than her dad defending OJ Simpson and being pals with Paris Hilton, Kim was mainly known (back in the 00s) for her (leaked) sex tape with Ray J. The pair started dating before Kim had officially divorced Damon and were together on/off until 2007 - shortly before KUWTK began.
4 of 17Ray J - now
Since splitting from Kim, Ray J has continued to release music, starred on Love and Hip Hop Hollywood and in 2017 he took part in Celebrity Big Brother but quit after a week. He is now married and a dad to two.
5 of 17Nick Lachey and Kim Kardashian
Six months after splitting from Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey went on a date to the cinema with Kim but he's since hinted that she may have called the paps."She left about halfway through and went to the restroom, and then shockingly, there were 25 paparazzi when we left the theatre."I think there were other things in play on our little rendezvous," he told Andy Cohen.Despite insisting she "couldn't be a nicer girl", they haven't kept in touch.
6 of 17Nick Lachey - now
You might recognise Nick as the host from Love Is Blind (remember that iconic show?). He hosts it alongside his wife Vanessa Lachey and the pair have three children.
7 of 17Nick Cannon and Kim Kardashian
Kim and Nick Cannon dated between 2006 and 2007 but they split because the KUWTK star allegedly lied to him about her sex tape. "This was my issue. We talked about this tape… And she told me there was no tape," he said on The Howard Stern Show. "If she might have been honest with me I might have tried to hold her down and be like 'That was before me' because she is a great girl. She's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. But the fact that she lied and told me that there was no tape?"
8 of 17Nick Cannon - now
Nick has continued releasing music and presenting TV and radio. He married Mariah Carey and welcomed twins into the world but they split in 2014. He has since welcomed another child into the world with his now ex-girlfriend Brittany Bell.
9 of 17Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian
KUWTK fans will remember Kim dating Reggie during the early series of the show. The pair dated from 2007 to 2009 and appear to be on good terms.
10 of 17Reggie Bush - now
Reggie continued playing American football and in 2017 he retired from the NFL. He has since married dancer Lillit Avagyan and they're parents to three children.
11 of 17Miles Austin and Kim Kardashian
OK so Miles almost slipped our minds tbh and that's probably because him and Kim were in a long distance relationship. Distance didn't make the heart grow fonder and they split in 2010.
12 of 17Miles Austin - now
Miles continued his career in American football but in 2017 he started coaching. He is now married (having tied the knot in 2014) and he has three children with his wife Stacy Sydlo.
13 of 17Shengo and Kim Kardashian
Remember when Kim started dating her former bodyguard Shengo during Kourtney and Kim Take New York? Never forget guys. They were pretty cute together but he lived in Australia so it didn't work out.
14 of 17Shengo - now
Shengo went on to marry his now-wife Sally Poulos two months after Kim married Kanye.
15 of 17Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian
If you watch KUWTK it's quite obvious why Kim and Kris didn't last – because they were completely different. Nevertheless we did see the moment they got engaged and thanks to Kris we got to see the iconic moment Kim lost her diamond earring in the ocean. The pair tied the knot in 2011 but after 72 days and crying on her reality show, they called it quits.
16 of 17Kris Humphries - now
Kris also continued his career as a basketball player following his split from Kim and in 2019 he retired.
17 of 17Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
Kim and Kanye were friends for years but following her split from Kris Humpheries they grew closer, started dating, welcomed North West and in 2014 they got married. They've also welcomed Saint, Chicago and Psalm into the world.
As heat has told you, the subject of custody has been a particular bugbear for Kanye. He’s currently residing full-time in Wyoming, and reportedly wants their children to spread their time more evenly between there and LA.
But, according to our source, the rapper knows that making the proceedings ugly won’t serve his cause in the long run.
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In the meantime, while Kim filed for divorce back in February, KUWTK viewers have only just had a glimpse of events behind the scenes. Scenes have been broadcast of the star crying to her family, and telling them that she “failed” Kanye and that he “deserves a wife who can support him”. With Kim paying tribute to her ex so publicly, it would be particularly shocking if he chose to lash out at her now.
“Eventually, Kim wants them to get to a place where they can respect each other’s wishes,” we’re told. “Kanye’s not exactly happy about the current situation, but as the dust settles, he’s taking a far more pragmatic view, which is why he’s agreed to these meetings. He’s willing to wait until they figure out a compromise.”
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.