'General Hospital's' Steve Burton Left Pregnant Wife after 23 Years & 3 Kids Together — Fans Are 'On His Side'

TV star Steve Burton married his only wife, Sheree Gustin, in the 90s, and they were inseparable ever since. That was until things took a twisted turn at his workplace, and she fell pregnant with a fourth child.

Award-winning actor Steve Burton met his wife, fitness trainer Sheree Gustin on the set of the ABC soap opera "General Hospital."

The couple wed in January 1999 and were together until May 2022. Burton announced to his fans that he and Gustin are now separated.

The pair welcomed three children within their union and are parents to two daughters, Brooklyn and Makena, and a son, Jack. The estranged couple's eldest child, Makena, was born in September 2003 and is 18.

The duo welcomed their only son, Jack, 16, in March 2006, followed by the youngest member in the family, seven-year-old Brooklyn, who arrived in 2014.

In January 2021, Gustin marked her 22nd wedding anniversary with Burton and commemorated their special day on her Instagram in the now-deleted post, writing:

"You had me at hello. It's been a wild and crazy ride @1steveburton. And he still manages to make me laugh almost every single day."

In March 2021, Burton paid a birthday tribute to Gustin on social media. He posted a black and white image of the pair in an embrace, and they appeared happy.

"Celebrating this amazing woman today and every day! Happy birthday @1shereeburton," the Emmy Award winner captioned his post with heart and heart-eyes emojis.

In January 2020, Burton again gushed over his wife on Instagram, posting a snapshot of the couple on their date night, donning black coordinating outfits. He alluded that their marriage was still intact after twenty-one years of matrimony, writing:

"Happy Sunday! Date night this weekend with @1shereeburton was awesome, and so is she..21 years and still going strong! #grateful #blessed #sheisawesome.”

BURTON GOT FIRED & HIS MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS

Burton played Jason Morgan on "General Hospital" between 1991 and 2021 but exited the TV show after refusing to vaccinate for COVID-19. He got fired from the series in November 2021 after purposefully failing to comply with the production's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

After rumors of his exit made the rounds, the Indiana native addressed the news on his Instagram in a video and hinted he would like to make a comeback once the mandate is lifted:

"Unfortunately, 'General Hospital' has let me go because of the vaccine mandate. I applied for my medical and religious exemptions, and both were denied, which, you know, hurts."

"I'll always be grateful for my time at 'General Hospital,' I love it there. Maybe one day, if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan," Burton concluded.

In addition, a source revealed to People that his marriage hit rock bottom when he went through some trouble which resulted in chaos erupting in his life.

The insider further disclosed that Gustin was unhappy in their marriage leading up to their breakup and was looking for "something more," said the source, adding:

"Their lives have been in the coasting stage for a while. After a long marriage, it's not that unusual."

GUSTIN ANNOUNCES FOURTH PREGNANCY & BURTON IS NOT THE FATHER

In May 2022, Gustin, a nutrition coach, took to her Instagram Story and low-key announced that she was expecting her fourth child.

The mom of three showed off her visible baby bump in a selfie and wrote while gushing that life was unpredictable: "Life sure is full of surprises!"

Not long after the reveal, her estranged husband went on his Instagram Story and disclosed the couple was no longer together and that the unborn child she was carrying was not his:

"I wanted to clear something up. Sheree and I are separated. She recently announced that she's expecting her fourth child. The child is not mine."

Burton mentioned that he and his estranged wife were still co-parenting their three kids and would appreciate privacy during this inopportune time.

The "The Young & The Restless" alum did not reveal how long he and Gustin had been separated before the pregnancy announcement, nor did he reveal why they parted ways. Gustin has not publicly addressed the separation either.

SOAP EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON THE BURTON & GUSTIN SEPARATION

Since the announcement of the shocking split between Burton and Gustin after 23 years of marriage, fans have already picked a side and are rallying behind "The Last Castle," star, said James Lott Jr., a TV/podcast host.

Lott, the CEO of JLJMEDIA specializing in Daytime Dramas, divulged to People how the unforeseen news would affect Burton's standing with fans moving forward.

The expert admitted that he was stunned by the revelation and addressed how Burton broke the news of his separation from Gustin, claiming that he appeared out of character:

"I was shocked with the message he put out. It seemed out of place. He doesn't really talk like that a lot. He was very brief. He was to the point and spilled the tea. It seemed out of character on his online life."

While fans were quick to speculate about what might have transpired between Burton and Gustin, Lott stated the majority of them are in support of Burton and "feel bad for him."

He explained the dynamics among fans concerning their TV stars: "They're on his side. Some daytime drama fans are very territorial, and they'll scream and holler at you, but the next minute, if you get hurt, they're right there for you," said Lott.

The producer compared the changing behavior with real-life family members, adding they would do the same thing whenever a loved one is in need.

Lott, who previously met

at various social gatherings,

, "Once you love him, you love him unconditionally," describing the soap star as "genuine and very gregarious."

He reiterated his stance on Burton's fans, saying they would support him no matter what, "They will stand by him. I think this actually may have endeared him to fans."