Kendra Wilkinson Says She's Been 'Celibate' Since 2018 Hank Baskett Split, Reveals Where They Stand Now (Exclusive) (2024)

Kendra Wilkinson has turned over a new leaf since her split from ex-husband Hank Baskett.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Wilkinson, 38, opens up about how she has navigated the changes in her life after her divorce in 2018 and explains what her priorities are as she navigates the next chapter of her life.

“Right now, I'm focused on my kids, the love that they're receiving from me and life, and raising them— and self-love,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It's all about self-love and self-care. If I'm not caring about myself, nobody else will. So the most important thing is focusing on my mental health.”

The former Playboy model is also concentrating on maintaining a healthy relationship with Baskett, 41, with whom she shares son Hank Jr., 14, and daughter Alijah Mary, 9.

Wilkinson and Baskett said "I do" in a fairytale wedding at the Playboy mansion in June 2009 and their romance was showcased on WE tv'sKendra on Top, which ran from 2012 to 2017. However, by 2018, the couple had split following cheating allegations against Baskett and a tumultuous nine years of marriage.

Though Baskett previously acknowledged to PEOPLE that he "messed up" and regretted bringing "pain upon this family," Wilkinson says she does not hold any grudges against her ex-husband.

“I am a lover. So if I love you, even as a human being, you don't owe me anything, but I will love you through your problem,” Wilkinson explains. “I know myself, I can forgive. And I want to see Hank do well in life. He's working so hard — he's putting so much effort into his business and being a great dad.”

“What he did in my marriage doesn't define him to me today,” she continues. “That's not who he is to me today. Today I see him as an amazing co-parent, I see him as an amazing father. And I'm so blessed, so beyond blessed, to have him as a co-parent.”

Looking back, Wilkinson also believes there is no one person to blame for the crumbling of their marriage.

"I [also] made mistakes in the marriage, and we both signed up for a reality show with our marriage," she says. "And we never got a chance to truly know who we were.”

As for the future, Wilkinson reveals she hasn’t had a man in her life for a while. She says she doesn’t see marriage “in the cards” anytime soon, but would like to “start to have fun” again.

“It's been so long since I've had sex — it's been so long that I've had any,” Wilkinson shares. “Because I shamed myself on my sexuality too. Everyone sees me as a sex icon, so I shamed myself. I shamed myself, and I stayed away from anything sex. I almost became celibate."

"I can't go back in time and rewire history, but I'm here to move forward in my life and upward," she adds. "And live a good life. That's what I'm here for."

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It's that positive attitude that has helped Wilkinson embrace her next chapter of life.

"I have two of the most amazing kids. They're good, solid human beings who are aiming to achieve life. And I've so much good in front of me," she says. "It's only the beginning for my life. I feel like I just pressed a rebirth. I feel like I'm being dealt new cards. Like what's in front of me now?"

"I'm hopeful, I'm excited," she adds. "Whatever that storm, that hurricane or whatever the hell I was a part of, is in the far distance now. And so the only thing I can really do is rebuild that, rebuild and focus on what I do have and how to nurture what I do have, and enjoy my life."