Kim Kardashian has admitted that she suffered from “Stockholm syndrome” during her tumultuous marriage to rapper Kanye West—revealing that the stress of their divorce left her with a myriad of health issues, including a brain aneurysm.
The 45-year-old SKIMS founder opened up about her seven-year marriage to West, 48, in the Season 7 premiere of “The Kardashians,” during which she was seen undergoing an MRI to diagnose what she described as “a little aneurysm.”
Kardashian blamed the condition, and a new flare up of her psoriasis, on the stress that she experienced while going through her 2021 breakup with West—with whom she shares four children, particularly because of her desperate need to protect her kids from their father’s increasingly erratic behavior.
“I haven’t had psoriasis since I got divorced, and it just started coming back I mean, I have psoriasis again. I felt more stressed, probably just because I had to super, super protect what I had to protect,” she said, noting that she has felt “pretty tested” by her ex in recent months.
While the kind of aneurysm that Kardashian was diagnosed with is fairly common and typically doesn’t cause major health issues unless it ruptures, the reality star said her ongoing struggle to shield daughters North, 12, and Chicago, 7, and sons Saint, 9, and Psalm, 6, was taking a major toll on her well-being.
“I feel more stressed probably just because I have to protect my kids. Everyone around can handle [the drama], but I want to protect my babies. They are going to know things. They’re going to grow up and see,” she said
“So my job as a mom is to just make sure that at a time when that behavior is happening, is just to make sure that they are protected.”
The mom and reality TV tycoon revealed that she was “able to hide” her ex-spouse’s behavior from her kids when they were younger, however it has become more difficult to cover up his erratic outbursts as they get older.
Looking back on the final years of her romance with West, Kardashian says she believed she stayed in the marriage for as long as she did, because she “felt bad” and wanted to help him, before comparing herself to a kidnapping victim.
“I always felt really bad and always wanted to help. … [People think] I should have stuck it out and I could have helped. As much as people think that I have the luxury of walking away and not dealing ever again, that’s not my reality. This person—we have four kids together,” she added.
Admitting that she “always felt like I had a bit of Stockholm syndrome,” during their marriage, Kardashian noted that she finds it particularly difficult when West goes on a social media rampage and claims that she is “keeping” their kids from seeing him.
“It’s very confusing, because it’ll be all this talk on the internet of like, ‘I’m keeping the kids.’ He’s never once called and asked [to see them],” she explained.
“But then I’ll wake up, and it’s on Twitter that ‘I’m keeping the kids.’ When it’s not true and not rational, I just have to … I can’t engage all the time. It’s a divorce—not a kidnapping.”
As part of her quest to maintain as much normalcy in her kids’ lives as possible, Kardashian has continued to live in the Hidden Hills, CA, property that served as the former couple’s marital home, although she has made numerous updates to the dwelling since their divorce.
The most recent of those upgrades reportedly involved the purchase of a $7 million home that is located next door to her primary residence—which she is understood to have bought in order to expand the existing footprint of her $60 million dwelling.
According to TMZ, Kardashian, who turned 45 on Oct. 21, closed on the four-bedroom, five-bathroom dwelling just days before her birthday and is now planning to wrap the property into her already impressive estate.
Realtor.com® records indicate that the dwelling in question was purchased for $7.1 million on Oct. 15, with the buyer paying well above the original $6.25 million asking price.
When the home was listed in August, it marked the first time that it had ever been put on the market, according to the listing description, while the listing images actually featured glimpses at Kardashian’s residence and the extensive renovations that were being done to it.
While TMZ claims that Kardashian is planning to use the property to expand her primary residence, which has already been undergoing extensive renovations over the past year, it is unclear whether she is going to demolish the dwelling or use it as an additional guesthouse.
Realtor.com has contacted Kardashian’s spokesperson for comment.
Should she decide to raze the existing dwelling, she may find herself facing some resistance, given its impressive architectural pedigree.
The dwelling was designed by renowned architect John T. Lyle, who envisioned a “tranquil escape where you feel as if you are sitting in a mature forest,” the property’s description noted.
While the property pales in comparison to Kardashian’s extraordinary megamansion—which appears to have almost doubled in size as a result of the recent renovations—it still offers plenty of luxurious features, including a private tennis court, a pool and spa, and 1.38 acres of land.
Undoubtedly the most alluring feature for the reality star, however, was the home’s proximity to her existing abode, which she purchased for $20 million in 2014, while she was still married to rapper Kanye West.
In 2018, family matriarch Kris Jenner insisted that the property was worth $60 million while responding to a post about the dwelling on X.
Throughout Kardashian and West’s marriage, the dwelling served as the couple’s primary residence. However, Kardashian reportedly paid $23 million to retain the home after their 2022 split, and she has continued to live there with their four children.
Then, in November 2024, images of the property emerged that showed it was undergoing some major construction—with photos obtained by Realtor.com earlier this year revealing the true extent of that work.
The images showed that workers are were the process of adding an enormous extension, which appeared to have created a new wing of the already expansive dwelling.
Much of the original structure also appears to have undergone a gut renovation, with new walls and windows being added alongside the new rooms.
The news of her new purchase came just days after it was revealed that West sold off his second Wyoming ranch, back to the original owners for $14 million, in the midst of reported money woes.
The rapper, 48, returned Bighorn Mountain Ranch, which sprawls across 6,713 acres, to the Flitner family, who first sold the “Gold Digger” hitmaker the land in 2019, after West neglected the ranch.
His purchase of the ranch back in 2019 marked his second Wyoming ranch, which he had snapped up in an effort to curb homelessness, and which he listed last year for $12 million and remains on the market.
According to Cowboy State Daily, the sale was notarized by West’s wife, Bianca Censori, on Sept. 17.
And while the family is thankful they have the property back in their hands, they noted that it is nothing like what it once was.
“Unlike Monster Ranch, he did not knock down any of the buildings. I think his original intent for the Mountain Ranch might have been somewhere that his family could go and be away from the rest of the world,” Pam Flitner told the outlet.
It comes complete with a five-bedroom, four-bathroom cabin with a enough space for several people.
He reportedly picked up the ranch with the intention of holding his Sunday Services there.
It reportedly includes heated helicopter pads and walk-in saunas.
It has been known as his “therapy ranch,” because it is where he sought comfort during his divorce to Kardashian, and where he crafted his album, “Donda.”
