Kelly Clarkson felt ‘limited’ in marriage to Brandon Blackstock as she reveals ‘ego’ kept her from leaving

Kelly Clarkson felt “limited” in her marriage to Brandon Blackstock as she revealed that her “ego” kept her from leaving for so long.

Just over a year after Kelly Clarkson’s divorce settlement was finalized, the Since U Been Gone singer has got heartbreakingly candid about her marriage to Brandon Blackstock. They were married for almost seven years and Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s divorce attracted plenty of attention. Now Kelly has revealed that she stayed in the marriage for so long despite feeling “limited” partly due to her “ego” and partly because she didn’t want her kids Remington ‘Remy’ and River to experience what she did as a child of divorced parents. 

As reported by People, the singer told the We Can Do Hard Things podcast with Glennon Doyle that she held firm to the belief that she could “get through” to Brandon.

Kelly explained, "My ego... [I thought] 'I can do this. I can handle so much.' My ego is, 'I can control my actions, I can control my reactions, I can do this and I can reach this person and I can get through.' It becomes a little bit of your ego that gets in the way.”

"If I'm being completely honest, we don't want to do what we saw done," she added. "I don't want my kids to be those kids at school."

The star went on to compare Remy and River’s situation growing up to how she felt like she stood out at school when Kelly’s parents divorced when she was 6.

"It's a little different - they grew up here and it's a very progressive city. But in the south, there was like two of us with divorced parents in our class. So it was very different," Kelly shared. "Even when you come down to like, daddy-daughter dances and you don't have anyone show up. You have to think about all of those things and you play it out differently in your head too."

Kelly reflected that as a parent you try “so hard” and think that you “do not want to do that” to kids that she found “you never start thinking about yourself”. 

“That's why sometimes to be selfish was important to me,” the singer continued, before later heart-wrenchingly describing how she felt “limited” in her marriage.

She said, "I felt limited. And I don't feel like that's the truth for all marriages, I just think that was my case. To say that's just his fault, that's my fault for allowing that to happen. That's my work as well. It could also be limiting because as in love as I was, I just wasn't ready. Maybe the other person wasn't either and you try to make it work but it doesn't."

Since Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s divorce the Because of You singer has also been open about how she encourages Remy and River to communicate their “huge feelings”. It was revealed on the The Angie Martinez IRL podcast that Kelly Clarkson asks her children “every night” if they are happy.

"I literally ask my kids every night when we're snuggling, 'Are you happy? And if you're not, what could make you happier?'" Kelly said. "Sometimes they'll say, especially the past two years, and it kills me and I want them to be honest, so I don't ever say, 'Oh god, don't tell me that,' but a lot of times [they are like], 'You know, I'm just really sad. I wish mommy and daddy were in the same house.'"

"I think communicating with them and not treating them - not treating them like an adult, because they're not - but not treating them like a child [is important]. They're not small feelings. Those are huge feelings, and those are huge emotions,” Kelly declared.