The Truth About Danica Patrick's Divorce

Danica Patrick met physical therapist Paul Hospenthal in 2002 after sustaining a hip injury from a particularly intense yoga session, she told Sports Illustrated in 2006. Their relationship didn't cross into the romantic realm until the following year — and Patrick was the one who took the initiative. "I asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner, and he said yes," she said. The then-23-year-old married Hospenthal, who is 17 years her senior, in November 2005, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

But after seven years, Patrick and Hospenthal ended their marriage. "This isn't easy for either of us, but mutually it has come to this," she announced in November 2012 (via People). However, Patrick assured that her ex-husband continued to play a role in her life. Patrick filed divorce papers in January 2013. "My marriage is irretrievably broken and there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation," she wrote, per USA Today. She and Hospenthal had a prenuptial agreement and no children. The divorce was finalized in April, according to USA Today.

Just days after she sought the dissolution of her marriage, Patrick confirmed she was in a relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., even though rumors had been swirling around for some time, Bleacher Report noted. "I think I am just finally excited to tell someone about this," she said.

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