Kortney Wilson is a Canadian actress, country singer, real estate professional, designer, and television presenter, best known for co-hosting HGTV Canada’s hit renovation series Masters of Flip alongside her then-husband Dave Wilson.
The couple met in Nashville while both were pursuing music careers, married in 2001, and built a television empire together before announcing their separation in December 2019.
Who Are Kortney and Dave Wilson?
Kortney and Dave Wilson are Canadian television personalities who rose to fame as the co-hosting couple behind Masters of Flip, which aired on both W Network and HGTV from 2015 to 2019.
The show followed them as they purchased, renovated, and sold distressed homes across Nashville, Tennessee. Over four seasons, the series built a devoted fan base across Canada and the United States.
Both came from music before flipping houses. Kortney moved to Nashville in 1998 to pursue a solo country career, and Dave was living in London, England, as part of a band when a writing trip brought him to Nashville.
A mutual friend introduced them, and he never returned to London.
Together they married in 2001 and performed as the country duo The Wilsons. When their music careers stalled, Kortney earned her real estate license and the pair turned to house flipping.
That pivot eventually produced their television career, first on CMT Canada and then on HGTV.
They had three children during their marriage: sons Jett and Sully, and adopted daughter Lennox, whom Kortney had told Dave about adopting on their very first date.
The announcement of their divorce in December 2019 shocked fans who had watched them appear to work seamlessly together on camera for years.
Why Did Kortney and Dave Divorce?
Neither Kortney nor Dave ever publicly named a specific reason for their split. Their joint statement, shared on Kortney’s Instagram on December 20, 2019.
Read in part that after nearly 18 years of marriage, they had decided to separate, and that there was “so much more to every story” that fans were not aware of.
They made clear there was no animosity between them and that they held the utmost love and respect for each other.
No official explanation has surfaced in the years since. Their statement pointedly acknowledged that the full picture was private, and both have kept it that way.
What interviews across their career did reveal was a notable difference in personality.
Kortney described herself as organized, deadline-driven, and detail-focused, while Dave tended toward a more relaxed and easygoing style. Those contrasts worked well on television but reportedly created friction in day-to-day life together.
Kortney also acknowledged in various interviews that separating work life from personal life was genuinely difficult when your spouse is also your co-host and business partner.
Filming renovation projects, managing tight budgets, raising three children, and maintaining a public image simultaneously added significant strain to the relationship over time.
Yet these are observations drawn from years of public interviews, not a formal reason either gave for the divorce. The official explanation, per both Kortney and Dave, remains private.
In an emotional interview with ET Canada after the split, Kortney admitted there were times post-divorce when she was “just surviving.”
Kortney Wilson Early Life
Kortney Wilson was born on February 8, 1979, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, as Kortney Galerno.
Her family left Windsor when she was just three months old. She spent her childhood years in Sudbury, Ontario, before her family relocated to Kitchener, Ontario, when she was 13.
Her parents, Ken and Karrie Galerno, were music lovers who encouraged her from an early age.
Growing up in a household that valued performance, Kortney began acting in musical productions as a child. In 1994, at age 15, she performed as Annie with Royal City Musical Productions in Guelph.
By 1998, she had signed a management deal with Scream Marketing and a publishing deal with Scream Music Publishing in Nashville. That same year, she relocated to Nashville at age 18 to pursue a full-time music career.
Kortney Wilson Age / Birthday
Kortney Wilson is 47 years old as of 2026, born on February 8, 1979.
Her zodiac sign is Aquarius, a sign often linked with independence and a drive for reinvention. Both traits match her career arc, from country singer to real estate agent to television host to lifestyle personality.
Kortney Wilson Ethnicity and Nationality
Kortney Wilson holds joint Canadian and American citizenship. She was born in Canada and is of English-Scottish ancestry. Her family background reflects the broader cultural mix common to southern Ontario, where she spent her formative years.
Kortney Wilson Height and Weight
Kortney Wilson stands at 5 feet 5 inches tall, which is approximately 164 centimeters. Her reported weight is around 126 pounds, or 57 kilograms.
She has blonde hair and blue eyes and carries a slim, athletic frame that has been a consistent part of her on-screen presence across her television career.
Kortney Wilson Career
Kortney Wilson’s career spans more than two decades and has moved through three distinct phases: country music, real estate, and television presenting.
Each chapter built on the last, and her pivot from singer to HGTV star remains one of the more unusual trajectories in Canadian entertainment.
Music Career (1998–2012)
Kortney arrived in Nashville in 1998 under the stage name Kortney Kayle. By that year, she had signed a management deal with Scream Marketing and Christy DiNapoli and a publishing deal with Scream Music Publishing. She was also working with country legend Reba McEntire during this period.
In 2001, she released two singles on Lyric Street Records as Kortney Kayle. The higher-charting of the two, “Unbroken by You,” reached No. 50 on the charts that year.
Her debut album, No Turning Back, was recorded but never officially released, and by October 2001 she had left the label. That same year, she made several appearances on the soap opera One Life to Live.
After meeting Dave Wilson and marrying, the two eventually signed with Open Road Recordings as a duo called The Wilsons. They released their debut album in 2010 and the single “Stick Together.” The duo performed together from 2006 through 2012 before stepping away from music entirely.
Television Breakthrough (2009–2019)
In 2009, the Wilsons began starring in Meet the Wilsons, a CMT Canada reality series that followed the couple as they juggled music, family life, and home renovation in Nashville. The show ran for one season and introduced them to Canadian television audiences.
That exposure led directly to Masters of Flip, which premiered on May 12, 2015, on W Network in Canada. The series followed Kortney and Dave as they bought distressed homes in Nashville, renovated them on tight budgets, and sold them for profit.
By the first season, the show had attracted 13 million viewers. HGTV quickly picked it up, and it expanded internationally in 2018.
Masters of Flip ran for four seasons through May 15, 2019. It received nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Lifestyle Program or Series in both 2016 and 2017.
Kortney and Dave’s chemistry on screen, combined with practical renovation detail, kept the show consistently strong through its run.
Post-Divorce Career (2020–Present)
After Masters of Flip ended, HGTV Canada launched Making It Home with Kortney and Dave in January 2020. The show found the pair helping Toronto-area homeowners upgrade their spaces while staying within limited budgets.
Dave left after one season following the divorce announcement, and the show continued as Making It Home with Kortney and Kenny, with contractor Kenny Brain replacing Dave.
That series ran through 2024. Following its conclusion, Kortney and Brain launched a brand new project together. Life Is Messy premiered on Home Network on April 9, 2026.
The series features the duo helping homeowners whose living spaces have become badly cluttered, guiding them through the emotional and physical process of letting go and rebuilding their spaces. Kortney also runs a design firm called Kort and Co.
Kortney Wilson Husband (Ryan Vella)
After her split from Dave, Kortney returned to dating via an app in 2020. She signed up using a friend’s name rather than her own. Ryan Vella’s profile caught her eye, and she messaged him. After a video call, she invited him to Toronto, and he arrived the next day.
In March 2022, Kortney announced she was engaged to Ryan. On July 9, 2023, the two married at a beach ceremony in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in front of 140 guests.
The couple described the event as a “modern boho” wedding with an experience they wanted guests to remember for how it felt rather than how it looked. Kortney’s three children were present at the ceremony.
Ryan Vella is a businessman and former race car driver. He is half-Italian and half-Maltese and was born in Ontario, Canada. He does not have children from prior relationships.
Kortney Wilson Children
Kortney and Dave Wilson have three children. Their two biological sons are Jett and Sullivan, known as Sully. The couple adopted their daughter, Lennox Esmee, in 2009.
Kortney had told Dave on their first date that she planned to adopt a child, and he agreed without hesitation.
After the divorce, Kortney and Dave committed to co-parenting. The family continued to spend holidays together, including Christmas.
Kortney wrote on Instagram in 2024 that co-parenting could be “quite literally exhausting,” but both parents remained present and involved in their children’s lives.
All three children attended Kortney’s July 2023 wedding to Ryan Vella. Kortney has described Ryan as someone who genuinely loves her children, noting his ease and warmth with them on social media.
Kortney Wilson Net Worth
Kortney Wilson’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026. Her income comes from several sources built up over more than two decades in entertainment and real estate.
Television Income
Her primary earnings come from her long-running television work. Masters of Flip ran for four seasons on HGTV, followed by Making It Home with Kortney and Kenny through 2024, and now Life Is Messy on Home Network in 2026.
Television presenting fees across these productions have formed the core of her income over the past decade.
Real Estate and Design
Kortney holds a real estate license and has been an active agent and flipper. She and Dave completed more than 50 home flips during their time working together in Nashville.
She also runs her design firm, Kort and Co., which serves clients beyond television. The firm adds a separate revenue stream to her real estate earnings.
Other Ventures
Kortney published her first lifestyle book, Live Happy, in 2019. She also hosts the Shit Stick of Life podcast and has used her social media platform, which includes over 280,000 Instagram followers, for brand and lifestyle content.
These ventures contribute additional income alongside her main television and real estate work.
Kortney Wilson Social Media
Kortney Wilson is active across multiple platforms. On Instagram, she posts under the handle @allthingskortneywilson, where she shares family updates, renovation content, and lifestyle posts. She also manages accounts connected to her design firm and real estate group.
Dave Wilson returned to Instagram in April 2025 after years of silence. He shared a video explaining his absence and announced his return to music with his band Bad Yogi Bunch, including a new song called “Comeback Kid.”
He has directed fans to his YouTube channel for ongoing music updates.
Dave Wilson After the Divorce
Dave Wilson largely stepped out of public life after the December 2019 announcement. He went quiet on social media and did not appear in any new television projects.
In January 2021, Kortney publicly wished him a happy 50th birthday on Instagram.
In April 2025, Dave resurfaced on Instagram with a video that opened with the question: “Where has Dave Wilson been?” He described the preceding period as “five of the best years of my life.”
He announced a full return to music with his band Bad Yogi Bunch and the release of the single “Comeback Kid.”
Since then, he has remained active on social media, promoting new music and engaging with fans who had followed him during the Masters of Flip years.
No confirmed romantic relationship for Dave has been reported publicly as of 2026.
Summary
Kortney and Dave Wilson announced their separation in December 2019 after nearly 18 years together, citing no specific reason and asking for privacy and understanding.
Kortney has since remarried, launched a new television series in 2026, and remained a visible presence in Canadian entertainment, while Dave returned to music in 2025 after years away from the public eye.
