Kim Kardashian spent five years away from serious relationships before falling for Lewis Hamilton. In a new interview with The Sunday Times’ Style Magazine, published on October 4, 2026, the 45-year-old reality star and billionaire businesswoman shared something she has rarely talked about in public: how and why she kept romance off the table after her painful divorce from Kanye West.
Her words were direct. She said she needed to heal. She said she felt no rush. And she said she was not even thinking about dating until Lewis Hamilton entered her life.
The interview offers one of the most open looks at Kardashian’s emotional state over the past half-decade, a period she mostly spent raising her four children, building SKIMS into a $5 billion brand, completing six years of law studies, and landing her first major acting roles. For someone whose personal life has played out on camera for nearly two decades, this quiet chapter may be the most telling one yet.
Kim Kardashian Avoided Love Before Lewis Hamilton to Focus on Healing
Kardashian told The Sunday Times’ Style Magazine that after her split from Kanye West, she made a conscious choice to step back from romance.
She said she was truly single for five years. She described that period as great, and said she could focus on her children and on projects she cared about. She added that she did not feel empty or pressured to find someone new.
She also said she wanted to completely heal and work on herself, and that she was not ready to open up to anyone during that time.
Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West in February 2021, after nearly seven years of marriage. Their divorce was legally declared in March 2022, and the full settlement was finalized in November 2022. West agreed to pay $200,000 per month in child support, and they share joint custody of their four children: North (now 13), Saint (10), Chicago (8), and Psalm (7).
The split was far from quiet. West publicly fought the separation through social media, posted about their family, and even targeted Kardashian’s then-boyfriend Pete Davidson. Kardashian told the court at the time that West’s posts caused her emotional distress.
That turbulence explains why Kardashian pulled back from love entirely. She was not just ending a marriage. She was navigating a public breakup with one of the most unpredictable figures in entertainment, all while raising four young children.
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The Pete Davidson Chapter and Why Kardashian Still Considers Herself “Single for Five Years”
Between November 2021 and August 2022, Kardashian dated comedian Pete Davidson. They met on the set of Saturday Night Live, made their relationship Instagram official in March 2022, and attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Met Gala together.
But after nine months, the relationship ended. Their schedules pulled them in different directions: Kardashian was based in Calabasas, California, while Davidson was filming in Australia and New York. Sources at the time said the breakup was amicable. Both reportedly had nothing but respect for each other afterward.
Despite the Davidson relationship, Kardashian still described herself as “really single for five years.” That framing says something important. She appears to view the Davidson period as a brief chapter, not a committed long-term relationship. It was a short-lived romance between two people figuring things out at different stages of life.
Davidson himself has spoken warmly about the Kardashian family in the years since. He recently joked that being Kardashian’s first relationship after her divorce helped clear the way for her return to dating. He also said one of the things he appreciated about Kim and her family was their openness about who they are. He compared the men who have dated Kardashians to “the Marines.”
What Kardashian Built During Her Five Years Away From Dating
Kardashian did not spend those five years sitting still. The period between her divorce and her relationship with Hamilton turned out to be one of the most productive stretches of her career.
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SKIMS grew into one of the most valuable private consumer brands in the United States. The shapewear and apparel brand, which she co-founded in 2019 with Jens Grede and Emma Grede, hit a $4 billion valuation in 2023 and then reached $5 billion after a $225 million funding round led by Goldman Sachs in November 2025. The company is projected to hit $1 billion in annual net sales. Kardashian owns roughly 35% of the company, placing her personal net worth at an estimated $1.9 billion according to Forbes.
She completed six years of law studies. Instead of attending law school (she did not graduate from college), Kardashian entered California’s Law Office Study Program in 2018, which allows aspiring lawyers to apprentice under licensed attorneys. She passed the “baby bar” in 2021 and completed her studies in May 2025. She took the full California bar exam in July 2025 but did not pass, announcing in November that she planned to keep going until she does.
She moved into acting. Kardashian landed a lead role in American Horror Story: Delicate (Season 12), which premiered in 2023. The character was written specifically for her by creator Ryan Murphy. That led to a second collaboration with Murphy: the Hulu legal drama All’s Fair, where she plays the lead role of Allura Grant, a successful divorce attorney who runs an all-female law firm. The cast includes Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts.
She focused on her children. Kardashian has said repeatedly that her kids were her priority during this period. On an episode of Khloe Kardashian’s podcast “Khloe in Wonder Land” in early 2026, she said she had not been dating because her children needed her. That sentiment echoed what she told The Sunday Times months later.
How Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton Went From Friends to Partners
Kardashian and Hamilton have known each other for over a decade. They were first photographed together in 2014 at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, at a time when she was married to Kanye West and Hamilton was dating Nicole Scherzinger.
Their friendship continued over the years. They crossed paths at events, shared mutual social circles, and occasionally interacted on social media. But the relationship stayed platonic.
That changed on New Year’s Eve 2025, when both attended Kate Hudson’s party in Aspen, Colorado. Within weeks, the dynamic shifted:
- Late January 2026: The Sun reported that Hamilton and Kardashian spent a night at the Estelle Manor hotel in the Cotswolds, England.
- February 2, 2026: They flew to Paris on the same private jet. Kardashian was photographed heading to dinner at Aqua Kyoto.
- February 4, 2026: Entertainment Tonight reported they were “now exploring a romantic relationship.”
- February 8, 2026: Kardashian and Hamilton appeared together at Super Bowl LX, their first confirmed public outing as a pair.
- March 2026: Hamilton joined Kardashian, her children, and her sister Khloe on a spring break vacation in Tokyo.
- April 2026: Kardashian appeared in a video Hamilton posted from Tokyo, riding in a Ferrari. They were also photographed together at Coachella during Justin Bieber’s set. Later that month, they were spotted kissing on a beach in Malibu.
- June 1, 2026: Kardashian made the relationship Instagram official with a carousel post showing the two on a bike ride in New York.
- June 7, 2026: Kardashian attended her first F1 race, supporting Hamilton at the Monaco Grand Prix.
- July 2026: At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hamilton confirmed the relationship during a post-race press conference, reportedly telling journalists “it’s Kim.”
- September 25, 2026: The couple shared PDA-filled photos from Paris, including a kiss under the Eiffel Tower.
Throughout all of it, both Kardashian and Hamilton have said very little publicly about the relationship. When asked to talk about Hamilton in the Style Magazine interview, Kardashian politely declined: “In the most respectful way, I’d probably rather not.”
Lewis Hamilton’s Own Relationship History and Why the Timing Made Sense
Hamilton has had his own experience with love, loss, and the difficulty of balancing a high-profile personal life with an even higher-profile career.
His longest and most significant relationship was with Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. They dated on and off for seven years, from 2007 to 2015, with engagement rumors surfacing in 2011 and again in 2014. When they split for the final time, Scherzinger called it “the hardest decision” they had made together.
Since 2015, Hamilton has not publicly confirmed any other serious relationship. He was briefly linked to a string of celebrities, including Rihanna, Winnie Harlow, Nicki Minaj, and most recently Shakira in 2023, but he consistently kept his personal life private.
Hamilton has also spoken openly about wanting to become a father. Sources close to him told OK! Magazine as early as March 2026 that fatherhood had been on his mind for years and was not a sudden idea triggered by dating Kardashian.
At 41 years old and with seven Formula One World Championship titles (tied with Michael Schumacher for the all-time record), 106 race wins, and 104 pole positions, Hamilton has little left to prove on the track. His move from Mercedes to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season was seen as a final competitive chapter.
The relationship with Kardashian appears to fit a moment in both of their lives where the pressure to perform has given way to something more personal.
What Kim’s Five-Year Break Says About Celebrity, Recovery, and Timing
Kardashian’s story is unusual by celebrity standards. High-profile breakups in Hollywood are often followed by rebounds, quick new pairings, and headline-grabbing romances within months. Kardashian went the other direction. She waited.
Her words in the Style Magazine interview point to a lesson she seems to have learned through experience. She said “the universe works in your favour when you just allow it to.” That is not the language of a woman in a rush. It is the language of someone who tried the fast lane before and decided to take a different route.
Kardashian’s first marriage, to music producer Damon Thomas, lasted from 2000 to 2004. Her second, to NBA player Kris Humphries, lasted 72 days in 2011 before she filed for divorce. Her third, to Kanye West, lasted from 2014 to 2022.
By the time her marriage to West ended, she had been through three divorces before turning 42. A five-year pause was not just personal preference. It was a form of emotional self-preservation.
Where Kim and Lewis Stand Now
As of October 2026, Kardashian and Hamilton are still together. Multiple sources have described the relationship as serious and committed.
In August 2026, Us Weekly reported that Kardashian was considering the possibility of having more children with Hamilton. A source told the outlet: “They are really in love. Kim may want to have more kids with Lewis.” Another insider noted that Hamilton has bonded with Kardashian’s four children and has spent quality time with them during vacations.
Hamilton has also built a good relationship with the wider Kardashian family. Sources told Us Weekly that Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian have both expressed approval of the pairing.
For Hamilton, the relationship brings something he has wanted for a long time: a family-oriented partner and the prospect of fatherhood. For Kardashian, it marks her first serious relationship since healing from one of the most public divorces of the last decade.
Neither one of them appears interested in making this relationship a media spectacle. Both have kept comments brief. Both have resisted public declarations. And both seem content to let the relationship speak for itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kim Kardashian avoid dating for five years?
Kardashian said she needed time to heal after her divorce from Kanye West. She told The Sunday Times’ Style Magazine in October 2026 that she felt no rush to find someone new and wanted to focus on her children, her career, and working on herself.
When did Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton start dating?
Dating rumors began in late January 2026 after the pair were spotted at the Estelle Manor hotel in the Cotswolds, England. They attended the Super Bowl together on February 8, 2026, and went Instagram official in June 2026.
How long did Kim Kardashian date Pete Davidson?
Kardashian and Davidson dated for approximately nine months, from November 2021 to August 2022. They split due to busy schedules and long-distance challenges but remained on good terms.
Has Lewis Hamilton confirmed his relationship with Kim Kardashian?
Yes. Hamilton confirmed the relationship during a post-race press conference at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 2026. He has also shared photos of Kardashian on his Instagram account.
Are Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton planning to have children?
Sources told Us Weekly in August 2026 that Kardashian is considering expanding her family with Hamilton. Earlier reports also indicated the pair have discussed starting a family, potentially via surrogate.
What is Kim Kardashian’s net worth in 2026?
Forbes estimates Kardashian’s net worth at approximately $1.9 billion, driven largely by her 35% ownership stake in SKIMS, which was valued at $5 billion in November 2025.
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Last Updated on October 5, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
