Steve Burton Files for Joint Custody of Children, Divorce Documents Reveal Couple Doesn’t Have Prenup

Steve and Sheree Burton separated on March 1, court documents obtained by PEOPLE show

NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 01: Actor Steve Burton and wife Sheree Gustin attend the 46th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 1, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

More light is being shed on Steve Burton and estranged wife Sheree Burton’s divorce.

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE show that Steve officially filed for divorce in the Orange County Superior Court on Friday and that the couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement.

According to the docs, the Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem star, 52, lists their official date of separation on March 1, citing irreconcilable differences.

The filing also shows that Steve is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their minor children, son Jack, 16, and daughter Brooklyn, 7. The pair also share 18-year-old daughter Makena together.

Sheree, 45, is currently pregnant but that child is not the soap star’s baby.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 05: Sheree Gustin and Steve Burton attend the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Civic Center on May 05, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Additionally, the soap star is asking the court to terminate both his and Sheree’s ability to get spousal support once the divorce is finalized.

A rep for the former General Hospital actor confirmed exclusively to PEOPLE on Monday that Steve had filed for divorce from his wife of more than 20 years.

The filing comes two months after Steve shocked fans when he revealed that he and his fitness pro wife were no longer together.

“I wanted to clear something up,” the former General Hospital actor wrote in an Instagram Story in May, adding, “Sheree and I are separated.”

He continued, “She recently announced that she’s expecting her 4th child. The child is not mine. We are still co-parenting our three beautiful kids. We would appreciate privacy at this time. Much luv, Steve.”

The actor and Sheree married in 1999 after meeting on the set of General Hospital.

In November 2021, Steve was let go from his role as Jason Morgan on the long-running soap opera. Steve’s firing came after he chose to not abide by the production’s COVID-19 vaccination rule.

“Their lives were changed when he went through some upheaval and anger over what he considered his freedoms being in jeopardy,” a source exclusively told PEOPLE in May. “He had to leave a show that he loved, which caused chaos in his life.”

According to the insider, Sheree had become “unhappy” leading up to the split and was looking for “something more.”

“Their lives have been in the coasting stage for a while,” the source said. “After a long marriage, it’s not that unusual.”

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