Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock: What They Said About Their Marriage Before Splitting

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock announced their split in June 2020. Prior to announcing their intention to divorce, the pair seemed to be on great terms with one another. Clarkson and Blackstock, who share two children — River and Remington — together, previously shared some sweet anecdotes about their relationship, which only made the news of their split all the more surprising.

Clarkson and Blackstock originally began dating back in 2011. They wed two years later. According to Entertainment Tonight, court documents indicate that the American Idol alum filed for divorce in Los Angeles on June 4. Clarkson listed the date of separation as “TBD” and reportedly asked for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s two children. Additionally, she also asked that her name be legally restored to Clarkson after taking her estranged spouse’s last name.

While Clarkson and Blackstock are now headed for a divorce, things were much happier between the pair once upon a time. In fact, over the years, the two (Clarkson, in particular), have spoken out about their relationship, and their quotes will definitely have fans reminiscing about happier times featuring the couple.

Totally In Love

In November 2012, a month before they announced their engagement, Clarkson told the Associated Press that she “completely fell in love” with Blackstock, as Us Weekly noted. She continued, “Welcome to Cheeseville! I did. I don’t know. Your priorities kind of shift and you become happier and all that stuff. It’s probably my best accomplishment because I think, for me especially, I just think I didn’t think it would happen. It’s like one of those cheesy love songs that didn’t exist, but it does, so that’s cool.”

Marriage Advice

Clarkson said in 2016 that one of the secrets to her successful marriage was the fact that she waited to get married until she was in her 30s. She said in 2016 during a Good Housekeeping luncheon, “I think the biggest thing is just getting married later in life…You change so much in your twenties. I mean, [my husband] got married at 21 in his first marriage, and they both went, ‘What?!’ It can be very hard to grow in the same way. Your twenties are all about growth, and giant [mistakes].”

The One

Back in February 2013, a few months after they got engaged, Clarkson told Cosmopolitan that her then-soon-to-be-husband was the “One.” She told the outlet, “Six years I was single before this. I’ve never been truly loved like I am right now.” The singer added, “Brandon’s totally The One. I’ve never been so happy.”

Getting Real

Clarkson opened up about her sex life with Blackstock in May 2015 during an interview with Redbook, telling the magazine, “I always swore ours would not be a relationship where we have to schedule sex. That is never going to happen.” She added, “We put each other first.”

Family Life

The Voice judge always had the sweetest things to say about family life with Blackstock. “Watching my husband love on his daughter all the time, you know, go to her events and just be there and, like, be present is hard to watch but beautiful to watch,” she told Ryan Seacrest during an interview, per Elite Daily. “I know that my kids are going to have that. Y’all are totally going to make me cry on this interview. I’m so glad you can’t see me.”

Partner In Crime

Shortly before the news emerged about their split, Clarkson had some major things to say about her relationship with her husband. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight from April, the songstress related that Blackstock is her “partner in crime.” Clarkson said, “He’s a director, and he’s also playing cowboy on our ranch. He’s got his hands full. We both definitely have our hands full. Brandon and I are hustling, definitely, around the ranch, trying to make it happen. And I 100 percent, none of this would be happening without my partner in crime.”

Love At First Sight

For the “Because of You” singer, it was love at first sight when she first laid eyes on Blackstock. According to E! News, she told Seacrest about her first meeting with her partner, explaining, “We were just in a room together, and then he came up and said he was from the same hometown as me and I was like, ‘Oh we’re so getting married,’ I was so that girl.”