Early on in the coronavirus lockdown we predicted we’d be seeing a lot of celebrity breakups as a result. Couples who already had problems couldn’t exactly ignore them when they were stuck together 24/7. And a lot of parents are used to a level of in-home childcare taking some of the stress off their shoulders.
Sadly it seems we were right — and it turns out Kelly Clarkson‘s marriage to Brandon Blackstock may have been the latest casualty of the breakup pandemic.
We were floored when we learned on Thursday Kelly had filed for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years — and we weren’t the only ones, as even many of their close friends were “shocked” and said the split news “came out of nowhere.”
Photos: Other Celeb Couple Breakups Of 2020
Unfortunately while they hid it well, that wasn’t true. Everything we’ve heard has said the couple were having issues for quite a while.
Now the latest source is telling ET the social distancing together was the straw that broke the couple’s back:
“Kelly and Brandon had been having problems for several months and were making a conscious effort to work things out. They both hoped quarantining away from L.A. in Montana would help them work things out in their marriage, but instead the change in environment was actually detrimental…The constant time together seemed to make an already challenging situation worse.”
While working together may have been a source of friction — Brandon is Kelly’s manager and the EP of her talk show — the busy lifestyle was probably keeping this inevitable breakup at bay! The source says Kelly’s singing career, daytime show, and coaching role on The Voice “definitely helped to keep her mind off things, but this recent downtime gave her the time she needed to think about her life and her marriage.”
And that apparently was not a good thing for them. The source says the Stronger singer started the ball rolling on full-on divorce, something “they’d both been dreading” a few weeks ago:
“Kelly knew she just needed to follow her heart and finally realized divorce was her only option.”
So sad.
The source also gave some insight into what’s going on with the couple post-divorce filing, revealing:
“Kelly and Brandon haven’t cut each other off; they are still talking to one another. They are both heartbroken, but their plan is to put the kids first.”
Well, that’s good to hear. The couple share two children, 6-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington Alexander. (Brandon also has two older children from a previous marriage.) The source adds:
“Their focus is on co-parenting and moving forward, as this is the last place they ever thought they would be. They both understand divorce is never easy for children, but Kelly and Brandon are great parents. It’ll just take time.”
The source also reassures the prenup being enforced is NOT something which will come between the two. Per the insider, the momma “has always been a very organized businesswoman, so her decision to have a prenup just reflects that and protects her earnings.”
“Kelly is very kindhearted, generous and giving, so Brandon will be just fine.”
How will this split affect his career though, considering it’s so closely tied to his wife’s?? That we’ll have to wait and see…
[Image via Kelly Clarkson/Instagram/YouTube.]
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