In case you haven't heard, Kelly Clarkson is going through a tough time.
In June, the 38-year-old filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock after almost seven years of marriage. Last month, she told her fans the news during the Season 2 premiere of The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Recently, Entertainment Tonight spoke with Kelly and her fellow The Voice coach, Gwen Stefani, about the whole situation.
"I've fought my entire career just to be me," the Breakaway singer said. "Most managers and publicists get nervous with me because I am an open book, and labels and people frowned upon it early on. But I don't do it for anyone else, honestly. I don't know, I come from a small town, I'm used to everybody knowing everything anyway."
"I feel like if you're hiding something, there must be something wrong with it. And there's nothing wrong with anything — life just kind of happens, and it takes turns that you don't expect and are sad."
The "Stronger" singer mentioned it's been especially difficult for her kids. She and Brandon share two children: 6-year-old River and 4-year-old Remington. She's also the stepmom of Blackstock's two teenage children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage.
"There's a lot of hearts involved here," she continued. "And you know, that's the thing that's been kind of hard to navigate is I am an open book, but at some point I'm a mama bear more than I am a person in the public eye. So, I care 100% more about my children than I do anything else on this planet."
"So, that's been the hard thing of, like, yes, I'm willing to share my experience and yes, it is the worst. I mean, the past few months have been horribly sad. But at the same time, I have to think, 'Hmmm, like, what I say has a domino effect in other people's lives.'"
"Having kids that run the gamut of 4 to 19 is a really tough thing," she added. "I've had conversations with one of our eldest about how difficult it is in the public eye when your parents are so ... you know, one of them is so prominent and having to navigate that for them is hard on their hearts. I'm just careful also while being real."
"Like I said," Kelly concluded, "nothing's wrong with anybody, it's just ... it happens, and that's why there's nothing to hide about it in that sense. You know, it's just, divorce is a really shitty thing."
Gwen, who went through her own public divorce in 2015, reassured her that it could be fueled into something good.
"One thing that we talked about is that we're both blessed that we have our music to be able to have as an outlet," she said. "Eventually, people are gonna hear Kelly's record, which I got a sneak peek at some of the songs, the ones that are gonna be coming out at some point."
"To be able to be heartbroken or sad or whatever it is," she continued, "It's just fueling whatever her purpose is to be a songwriter, and a singer, and that will, you know, eventually contribute back into the world, and that's what her whole purpose is for."
