Zooey Deschanel and Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott recently went public with their relationship and now the New Girl actress’ estranged husband Jacob Pechenik has officially filed for divorce after the new romance. According to Us Weekly, the film producer filed papers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and was listed as “dissolution with minor children.” The former pair share daughter Elsie Otter, 4, and son Charlie Wolf, 2. Their date of separation was cited as Jan. 8 and with Deschanel requesting joint legal and physical custody of their children.
Deschanel and Pechenik decided to end their marriage after four years, saying in a joint statement, “After much discussion and a long period of contemplation we have decided we are better off as friends, business partners and co-parents rather than life partners. We remain committed to our business, our values and most of all our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy at this time.”
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The two began dating in 2014 following her split from Jamie Linden. The following year in 2015 they became engaged just one week after they announced they were expecting their first child together. They secretly tied the knot in August.
The actress eased into her new relationship with the Property Brothers contractor after meeting him on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke. The two unexpectedly connected on a romantic level following their segment together but it took a while before both came out to discuss their new relationship.
“I am seeing someone,” Scott, 41, said the first time he broke his silence on his new romance, not specifying with who. “I’m a very private person, so I don’t typically talk about that. It’s definitely special for me because I am the guy who raises the bar in what I’m looking for in a partner. I was caught a little off guard. It was definitely a pleasant surprise.”
While Deschanel has been rather quiet regarding Scott, she finally opened up to fans via Instagram by posting a photo of the two at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
One source told the outlet that the duo “had instant chemestry when they met” as they “bonded over their love of music, film, theatre — and Christmas carols.”
