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US representative Madison Cawthorn and his wife Cristina Bayardelle have reportedly filed for divorce after just eight months of marriage. The news was confirmed by an official statement from the former’s spokesman on his behalf.
The North Carolina representative mentioned that his marriage was affected by the changes that came after he was elected to Congress in 2020:
"When my wife Cristina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress. I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run. Our victory was unprecedented. But overnight, our lives changed. That change has been both hectic and difficult. It's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for."
The 26-year-old also shared that he and Cristina failed to establish a balance between his work and marriage and decided to part ways because of “irreconcilable differences”:
"From the outset, we committed to make things work, to fight for our marriage, and seek counsel to balance the enormity of such a transition in life. Together, we realized that balance was not attainable, and that we had irreconcilable differences between us.”
Madison Cawthorn confirmed that the split was “mutual” even though it was an “enormously difficult decision.” He also requested his followers for privacy through the difficult times.
Meet Madison Cawthorn's wife, Cristina Bayardelle
Cristina Bayardelle is an American fitness instructor, Instagram model, athlete, personal trainer and entrepreneur. She graduated from Florida International University and is also a registered anesthesiologist assistant.
The 27-year-old reportedly received her anesthesiology license from the state of Florida in February 2021. She has also competed in six different CrossFit tournaments and is currently associated with the fitness company.
She came under the spotlight after she started dating Madison Cawthorn. The pair reportedly met through mutual friends at a gym in Miami and started dating shortly after. Cristina previously said she realized he was “the one” just after four months together.
The couple got engaged in December 2019 and tied the knot on 3 April 2021, on the seventh anniversary of Madison Cawthorn’s near-fatal car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
At the time, the rising Republican mentioned that he chose the significant wedding date as his life changed for the second time due to their marriage.
He also said that marrying Cristina was the “greatest honor, privilege and adventure” of his life. Unfortunately, the pair decided to call it quits less than a year after their wedding.
