‘I’ll give my kids coal for christmas!’
Reality veteran Kristin Cavallari on unexpected gifts, the ups and downs of marriage and her former The Hills co-stars
She was the outspoken teen who rose to fame on Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County before causing trouble on iconic noughties reality show The Hills. But Kristin Cavallari is all grown up now, with a family of her own and a reality show, Very Cavallari,
all about the inner workings of her thriving jewellery business, Uncommon James.
Kristin, 32, documents her family life with retired American footballer husband Jay Cutler, 36, and their kids Camden, seven, Jaxon, five, and four-year-old Saylor on the show – and it’s not always easy.
To celebrate the special seasonal episode, Kristin exclusively tells us who she still speaks to from The Hills and chats all things Christmas...
Merry Christmas, Kristin! Do you love the festive season?
Having three young kids, it’s just the best time of year. It reminds me of being a kid and it’s fun to carry on the traditions that I grew up doing with my own family.
Such as?
Well, my dad always made homemade meatballs in sauce on Christmas Eve, so I do that as well. A week before Christmas the elves came along and if you were good you got a gift in your stocking, but if you were bad you got coal. So we do that with our kids.
Will you be giving out any coal this year?!
Hopefully I won’t have to! Hopefully they’ll be good and they can get a little present, but you never know. At my kids’ ages it’s very likely coal could be coming.
Uh oh! But what about you – what do you want for Christmas?
There’s an espresso machine that I really want. It’s a fancy one!
The new season of
Very Cavallari
sees you search for lost relatives.
What prompted that?
My brother passed away four years ago and he was the last Cavallari. I wanted to be able to share with my kids where they came from. I looked on ancestry.com and then we went over to Italy and we actually did get to meet some family, which was really cool.
Amazing! You and Jay went through a rough patch last season. Where do things stand between you now?
They’re honestly the best they’ve ever been. Marriage has ups and downs and we definitely went through a bit of a transitional phase. The only good thing about being on a low is that you usually come out of it on a high, so that’s where we’re at now. We’re making a point of spending more time together – more date nights.
You’ve got three kids. Do you have any plans for baby number four?
No! We’re in such a great place now – no diapers, no waking up in the middle of the night – that it would be really hard to go back. And we just feel like such a complete family, so we’re not going to rock the boat.
Who are you still in touch with from the cast of The Hills?
I talk to Heidi [Montag] and Audrina [Patridge] pretty often and I’m still in touch with Brody [Jenner]. I was texting with Heidi two nights ago.
What did you think of Brody and Kaitlynn Carter’s split and her brief relationship with Miley Cyrus…
Gosh, it was such a scandal! I’ve known Brody since I was
18, so I always want to make sure he’s OK. Obviously you never want one of your friends to go through a divorce or anything heartbreaking like that. I reached out to tell him I was thinking of him.
You’re based in Nashville, Tennessee, with your family nowadays. Do you ever miss living in LA?
I loved it when I lived there. I’m out there quite a bit so I get my fix and then come home. There’s just something about it – the weather, all of the great food. I just love bopping around town.
How have you changed since we first saw you on Laguna Beach in 2004?
I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin and I have a way better sense of self. I feel like I finally know who I am. And with Uncommon James, I’ve found what I’m really passionate about. This is exactly what I want to be doing. It took me a while to get here, but it was a fun journey and I’m thankful for everything that I went through.
I do feel like now
I’m finally coming into my own.
Stream and download A Very Merry Cavallari on Hayu from 20 December