Carey Hart: Pink Is the 'Love of My Life'

Originally posted Tuesday March 04, 2008 06:00 AM EST

He may be in the middle of a divorce, but Carey Hart has nothing but good things to say about estranged wife Pink.

"Above and beyond everything, we are the best of friends and she is the love of my life," he told PEOPLE in Las Vegas Monday night, breaking his silence about their separation (announced last month). "We talk all the time."

The freestyle motocross star, speaking at the grand opening of Ago restaurant inside the Hard Rock Hotel, declined to comment further. Instead, the 32-year-old spent the remainder of the evening chatting with a small group of male friends inside he eatery, sipping red wine and taking a few pictures.

The hotel has become something of a safe haven for Hart, a Las Vegas native. This summer, he's slated to open a new bar, Wasted Space, inside the complex.

"It's about rock and roll decadence," he said. "It's everything a rock and roll bar should be – dark, gritty, comfortable with plenty of booze and a lot of loud, rocking-out music."

Hart met Pink at the 2001 X Games. They split for a time in 2003, but tied the knot with a non-denominational ceremony in Costa Rica in January 2006.

The singer, 28, has also been quick to defend her ex, calling him a "good man." She also insisted that their breakup is "not about cheating, anger or fighting."