Kelly Clarkson has spoken candidly about the heartbreaking reactions her children have had since she split up with their dad, Brandon Blackstock.
The couple filed for divorce in 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage, during which they welcomed two children, River, eight, and Remington, six.
Clarkson cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split and has now made clear she 'won't be getting married' again, but she admitted that some of the comments her two kids have made about the divorce 'kill' her.
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Speaking on The Angie Martinez IRL podcast, Clarkson described how she asks her kids 'every night' whether they're happy, asking what could 'make [them] happier' if they're not.
"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 it would be like, 'You know, I'm just really sad. I wish mommy and daddy were in the same house'," she said.
Though it's tough to hear, the singer insisted she's happy the children are being honest with her and that she's 'raising that kind of individual'.
Clarkson's own parents split when she was younger, so she knows what her kids are going through, but she made clear they're going to make it through the hard parts as a family.
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"I just sit there and I'm like, 'I get it. I'm from a divorced family as well. I get it. That sucks. But we're going to work it out. And you are so loved by both of us'," she added.
Clarkson continued: "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. They're not small feelings. Those are huge feelings, and those are huge emotions."
Clarkson has also had to explain to her children that she doesn't know if love 'goes away' when they've questioned her feelings for their dad now.
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But while she would 'love to find someone and fall in love and do that thing', she told the podcast she 'won't be getting married' again.
"In my life, I've been through a couple of divorces in my own family as a kid. I would love to fall in love... but I have children and that's why I say [that].
"I didn't have the most positive experience with step-situations and re-marrying and I didn't have the most positive situation growing up," Clarkson said.
"I will not do that to my children. I would love to fall in love, but I don't want another dude in my house with my children."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Parenting, Celebrity, Music
Emily Brown