Kelly Clarkson Reportedly Realized ‘Divorce Was Her Only Option’ in Quarantine

Kelly Clarkson and her husband Brandon Blackstock “had been having problems for several months” before their June 4 divorce filing, issues that were only made worse by their coronavirus-related quarantine. According to a source who spoke with Entertainment Tonight shortly after news broke that the couple had decided to split, Clarkson and Blackstock had been “making a conscious effort to work things out” and had hoped that “quarantining away from L.A. in Montana would help them work things out in their marriage.” However, the opposite turned out to be true.

ET‘s source alleged that the couple, who married in October 2013 and share 5-year-old daughter River Rose and 4-year-old son Remington Alexander, had already been facing a “challenging situation” before lockdowns went into effect. When the couple picked up and headed for Montana to ride out the pandemic, the “constant time together” strained their relationship further and made things “worse.” The source added that Clarkson’s career “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.”

Eventually, the American Idol alum “knew she just needed to follow her heart and finally realized divorce was her only option.” A few weeks ago, she started the divorce process “they’d both been dreading.” She filed divorce papers in Los Angeles on June 4, citing irreconcilable differences. Documents obtained by the outlet showed that Clarkson listed the date of separation as “TBD” and asked for joint legal and physical custody of their children. She also requested the court to terminate the ability to award spousal support to Blackstock and has asked the court to enforce their premarital agreement and that both parties cover their own attorney’s fees. Clarkson is seeking to have her last name restored to Clarkson, as she had taken Blackstock’s previous name following their nuptials.

While neither Clarkson nor Blackstock has publicly commented on the latest development in their relationship, the source said that the former couple isn’t washing their hands clean of one another. Despite the divorce, they “haven’t cut each other off” and “they are still talking to one another.” While they are both said to be “heartbroken… as this is the last place, they ever thought they would be,” they are choosing to put their focus on their two children. Both understanding that “divorce is never easy for children,” the source said, “their focus is on co-parenting and moving forward.” The source praised the former couple as “great parents.”