Kaley Cuoco Kisses Karl Cook On Instagram Following ‘Big Bang Theory’ Star’s Divorce

Kaley Cuoco is not hiding her happiness with new love Karl Cook. The Big Bang Theory star posted a picture last week of the pair sharing a smooch. If there was any question that Cook was more than a friend to Kaley, it seems to have been answered. The new displays of affection come just a couple of weeks after Cuoco finalized her divorce from tennis player Ryan Sweeting.

As People reported on May 9, 2016, Cuoco and Sweeting had a prenuptial agreement. As a result, Sweeting received little to none of Cuoco’s massive Big Bang Theory salary when their nearly two-year marriage came to an end. The former couple tied the knot New Year’s Eve, 2013, and separated 21 months later in September, 2015.

Cuoco will pay Sweeting several thousand dollars in legal fees plus a lump sum payment of $165,000 in two installments. Kaley is keeping two homes the couple occupied in Tarzana and Santa Barbara, California.

Since the legal hassles have come to a close, Cuoco has made no secret of her desire to move on. She said in a CBS This Morning interview that she has no regrets about her marriage and is still ready to go forth with love.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds – but it happened, and now I have to say I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

“There are just special people in my life now, and the show is doing great and I’ve got my horses.”

She also talked about Karl Cook, saying their shared interests — Cook is an equestrian, like Cuoco — is part of the bond they share.

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“I think meeting people that are involved [in the same things as you] – I think that the horse connection is special. He’s special.”

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As the Inquisitr reported previously, Karl Cook has been riding horses since his youth. He’s the son of a billionaire software executive. Cook is a few years younger than Cuoco — he’s 25 and she’s 30 — but they seem to share an undeniable chemistry. In addition to their love of horse riding, they have a cute common name: “Cuoco” is the Italian word for “Cook.” Fans of Kaley’s Instagram know the clever wordplay behind her screen name, “Norman Cook.” Norman is one of the Big Bang Theory star’s several rescue dogs.

Kaley is open about her love of animals and her support of rescues. She even posted an image of herself on The Big Bang Theory set, sitting in what appears to be “Sheldon’s spot,” lamenting that she’s not closer to the stables.

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Season 9 of The Big Bang Theory wrapped with Kaley Cuoco’s character Penny planning a more formal wedding to Leonard to make up for the quickie nuptials the couple had in Vegas in the season opener. Judd Hirsch made a guest appearance as Leonard’s father and favorites Christine Baranski and Laurie Metcalf were on hand to provide parental guidance — and a shocking hookup.

But as Season 9 of The Big Bang Theory came to a close, Kaley was making time for herself. She shed Penny and went back to being “Kaley” by getting extensions in her hair. Her original pixie cut caused great controversy in celebrity style circles when she debuted it two years ago. She’s been doing the talk show circuit of late, appearing on Late Show With Stephen Colbert and joking that she didn’t want Penny to become a mom anytime soon — because babies get, well, “babied” on a television set.

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“Babies are really tough to work with. They’re the biggest divas you could possibly have around. They’re carried in. They only work like, six minutes. Guess what – I’d like to only work six minutes!… I would like to cry once in a while, but as an adult we just can’t do that!”

“I just feel like the babies can do whatever the h*** they want, and I don’t think that that’s fair. So, I don’t want to work with them.”

But as if to confirm she was just joking, she also told Colbert that she hates puppies, which even a casual fan of Kaley Cuoco knows is not true.

[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]