Kelly Clarkson has opened up about the reasons she remained in her marriage to Brandon Blackstock for so long, admitting her 'ego' played a significant part. Speaking on the podcast 'We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle', the 41-year-old singer said she believed she could handle the difficulties and reach her husband, despite the problems.
Clarkson, who is herself a child of divorce, explained that she did not want her children River and Remington to experience the same pain she went through. 'I don't want my kids to be those kids at school,' she said, reflecting on her own childhood in the southern United States where divorce was uncommon.
The singer acknowledged that she had to learn to be 'selfish' for her own wellbeing. She described how trying to avoid repeating her parents' mistakes meant she never considered her own needs. 'You try so hard and you think, I do not want to do that to her, I do not want to do that to him – that you never start thinking about yourself,' she said.
Clarkson also discussed how her light was 'dimming' in the relationship, a theme that inspired her upcoming album 'Chemistry'. She said it is unhealthy to dull oneself to make others shine, and that it is better to accept when people are not meant to be together.
The couple, who married in 2013, filed for divorce in 2020 after eight years of marriage. The proceedings were complicated by disputes over custody, property, and alimony, and were not finalised until 2022. Clarkson and her family are now preparing to relocate to New York as 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' moves to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for its fifth season.
