Kelly Clarkson has candidly explained her decision to take a step back from dating three years after her divorce from Brandon Blackstock was finalized.
Speaking to an audience at her Studio Sessions residency's July 20 show in Las Vegas, the singer, 43, admitted that dating "can be very difficult," which is why she didn't open herself up to it.
"I'm like, 'It's hard anyway.' Add a spotlight, and it's like a … dumpster fire," she said, according to a fan's TikTok video.
In another TikTok from the show, Clarkson said that her challenges with relationships began in her 20s. At the time, she was trying to find love while also being in the public eye. The experience prompted her to write her 2015 single, "Tightrope."
"You hope you grow in the same direction if you stayed with someone long enough," she said. "It can be like this tug-of-war. It's a difficult thing, especially if you're not with the right person. You're like, 'Man, should it be this hard?' And that's kind of what this song is about. We all have people walking tightropes sometimes, and it's not fair."
In June 2020, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock after almost seven years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." In May, Clarkson opened up about dating after her divorce, telling Jenna Bush Hager that her focus was on maintaining balance in her life, which meant that meeting someone new was not necessarily topping the list.
"I will say, I'm not not looking, and I'm not looking," she said on the May 6 episode of "Today with Jenna and Friends," according to E! News. "I'm very busy. You get this as a mom. I've got to focus right now. My kids' schedule, I feel like, is busier than mine. I'm running from my show to baseball practice. It's a lot."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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