Benjamin Ashford|Kristin Cavallari Reveals Why She Broke Up With Mark Estes

For Kristin Cavallari,Benjamin Ashford the rest is still unwritten.

The 37-year-old shared her side of her split with Mark Estes after seven months of dating, confirming the news on her Let’s Be Honest podcast on Oct. 1.

“I broke up with Mark because I just know long term it’s not right,” the mother of three shared. “It’s not because of love lost or something bad happened, no one cheated, no one was mean. No one did anything. Those breakups are always the hardest, I think.”

The Hills alum praised her 24-year-old ex, calling him “the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

Ultimately, it was the age difference between the Uncommon James founder and the Montana Boyz TikTok star that led to Cavallari’s decision to end things.

“I just know long term he needs to experience life,” she explained. “He’s young, I mean, he is. I started to feel the age a little bit just with life experience. I look back on when I was 24 and how much life has happened for me between then. Those are crucial years; those are formative years. This is when you find yourself, and he needs to be able to do that.”

Cavallari—who shares kids Camden, 12, Jaxon, 10, and Saylor, 9, with her ex-husband Jay Cutler—also wants Estes to build a family of his own.

“He will make someone so happy one day, so, so happy one day. And he will have a beautiful family of his own, which he should do,” she said of her ex. “He should go and he should have multiple kids. He should. I know that one day he will look back and he will understand it. And I actually think one day he will thank me.”

Noting she did not want to “rob” Estes of a full future, Cavallari added, “I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret going public with him. I don’t regret introducing him to my kids.”

The former reality star got emotional when talking about her desire to stay friends with her ex, saying, “I like being friends with my exes and Mark really is someone that I would really love to have in my life in some capacity because I really do care about him.”

As for Cavallari, she is content in her current season of life, embracing time with her kids.

“I know that my time is just limited with my kids all around,” she said, acknowledging that she has nine more years until she becomes an empty nester. “That’s why I want to make the most of it.”

And in terms of dating, Cavallari noted that it’s not currently on her radar, but added that her relationship with Estes proved, “I’m just one step closer to finding the one.”

To look back at Kristin and Mark's most romantic moments, read on. 

Kristin Cavallari debuted her romance with Mark Estes in February 2024, captioning this photo of the couple, "He makes me happy."

"Photo dump of my girl and I," Mark wrote on Instagram March 2024.

Among the snaps included a picture of the pair sharing a rooftop kiss.

The Hills alum got cozy with her man in the series of photos.

Mark wrapped his arms around the Kristin during a night out on the town.

Kristin captioned this cozy-looking shot in March 2024: "Him."

The couple hit up the Stagecoach Festival in California April 2024, with Kristin captioning a photo of herself kissing Mark on Instagram, "Cowboy take me away."

The Very Cavallari star visited Mark's native Montana in May 2024.

Kristin and Mark enjoyed a staycation at Tennessee's Bolt Farm Treehouse in early June 2024.

In late June 2024, the couple took a vacation to the Bahamas—where they were joined by Kristin's Camden, Jaxon and Saylor, who she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler.

Kristin captioned photos of the tropical getaway, "Bahamas with my favorite people."