Madison Cawthorn, Cristina Bayardelle to divorce after less than a year of marriage

Rep. Madison Cawthorn and wife Cristina Bayardelle will divorce after eight months of marriage, according to an announcement on Twitter.

The two have been married for eight months, and their divorce is due to the "hectic and difficult" lifestyle that came with Cawthorn's election to Congress. 

"“When my wife Crisitina and I were engaged, I was not a member of Congress," says the tweet from Cawthorn spokesperson Luke Ball. "I felt called to serve and we both agreed that I should run. Our victory was unprecedented, but overnight our lives changed."

Cawthorn and Bayardelle were legally married in December 2020, a spokesperson told the Citizen Times in April, when the two held a marriage ceremony. 

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According to the marriage license on file in Henderson County, Cawthorn and Bayardelle were married Dec. 29, 2020 after receiving the license the day before, and returning it to the Register of Deeds Dec. 30. 

The Dec. 22 divorce announcement comes almost a year since the legal marriage and a little more than eight months since the religious ceremony April 3, which also marked seven years since Cawthorn was injured in the car accident that resulted in his having to use a wheelchair. 

"Our victory was unprecedented, but overnight our lives changed," the announcement says. "That change has been both hectic and difficult, it's neither the pace nor the lifestyle we had planned for." 

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It says the pair "committed to make things work," but "together, we realized that balance was not attainable, and that we had irreconcilable differences between us. While it was an enormously difficult decision, Cristina and I have mutually decided to divorce."

Cawthorn, elected to represent Western North Carolina's 11th District in 2020, announced in November that he would run in the state's new 13th District, which covers seven counties including Polk, Rutherford, McDowell, Gaston and some of Mecklenburg. 

Derek Lacey covers environment, growth and development for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at DLacey@gannett.com or 828-417-4842 and find him on Twitter @DerekAVL.