Kate Walsh and Alex Young in happier days. Photo credit: WENN.

Last week, we told you that “Private Practice” star Kate Walsh’s 15-month marriage is over. It was just as sudden as the marriage itself, and many were wondering if perhaps the couple rushed into things. Now, new reports are surfacing that the reason for the abrupt ending could be the off screen chemistry between Kate and her TV co-star, David Sutcliffe.

As they held each other at Katherine Heigl’s 30th birthday party, no one could have though anything was wrong between Kate Walsh and her husband of just 14 months. “They were dancing up a storm, having a really good time together,” one partygoer tells Star. “There were no signs that there was any trouble in paradise.”

Yet, just a week after Katherine’s Nov. 15 bash, Kate and hubby Alex Young called it quits, according to divorce papers he filed in Los Angeles. So what went wrong in such a short time?

Friends say one of the main reasons is Kate’s growing closeness with David Sutcliffe, the divorced hunk who plays her love interest on her Grey’s Anatomy spin-off.

As Kate’s character and David’s character have grown closer, so have the actors. “Kate really likes David, and knowing that didn’t help Alex’s fragile ego,” a friend of the actress said. “Kate and David had a real connection playing lovers on the show, and she didn’t seem to have that with her own husband.”

Kate’s determination to keep her struggling show alive meant spending more time at the “office,” regularly working 16-hour days on the show. Much of her time was spent with David, 39, who just became a regular on the show.

“Kate was too busy working – she hardly even saw Alex anymore,” says the source. “She looked forward to being on the set and really liked where the show’s storyline was taking her. But then, who wouldn’t with a co-star like David?”

A second source adds, “She’s one of those people who needs constant male attention.” And he gave it to her. “She spent a lot of time in her trailer with David.”

[From Star print version, Dec. 29, 2008]

Sounds like that show is just as dramatic behind the scenes as it is on screen! I’ve never seen it, but based on photos of this David guy, he is pretty hunky. Still, it was only a few months ago that Kate was gushing about her new husband and how happy they were. But I guess if you are spending 16 hours a day with someone it’s pretty hard to remember your husband waiting for you at home. It’s a wonder anyone stays married in Hollywood, really. Beautiful people who spend all their time with other beautiful people doing love scenes – it’s really a recipe for cheating if you think about it.

Kate Walsh is shown leaving a hair salon in Los Angeles earlier this month. Her co-star, David Sutcliffe, is shown at a Habitat for Humanity benefit in October. Photo credit: WENN.