Seeing her mistakes. Kelly Clarkson admitted that she has a tendency to ignore “red flags” in men, and that’s part of why she claims she will not get married again.
The 39-year-old singer, who is in the process of divorcing estranged husband Brandon Blackstock, said she has no regrets because she can now recognize obvious signs of trouble.
“I regret nothing. Even unfortunate things that happen in your life or hard things, ’cause we can do hard things,” Clarkson said, referencing a Glennon Doyle quote, on the Tuesday, December 14, episode of the “Love Someone with Delilah” podcast.
The “Wrapped in Red” singer continued, “But also I feel like that’s what shapes you, it’s what makes you a better person, it’s what makes you recognize: OK I missed those red flags, I missed that, I ignored that on purpose.”
Clarkson didn’t specify what warning signs she missed, but she didn’t mind poking fun at her mistaken judgement calls. “I almost called my next album Red Flag Collector,” the Texas native quipped. “I’m just collecting them … I was apparently wanting to do some kind of exhibit with a lot of them.”
The Kelly Clarkson Show host and Blackstock, 44, tied the knot in October 2013 after starting to date two years earlier. They share two children, daughter River Rose, 7, and son Remi, 5.
After filing for divorce in June 2020 and citing “irreconcilable differences,” Clarkson and her lawyer filed a motion in July 2021 for a separate trial to terminate her marital status so that she would be declared legally single while divorce proceedings continued. A judge signed off in September, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, declaring that their “marital or domestic partnership status” will end on January 7, 2022.
The American Idol alum noted that she’s not ready to jump back into the dating game yet. “I’ve already had people be like, ‘Let me know when you’re wanting to date,'” she explained on Tuesday’s podcast. “I don’t think you have to have someone with you all the time. I really do enjoy my work, my kids, my creative self, that sometimes — I got stifled. Like in relationships, it’s hard to be as creative as I can because I wear my heart on my sleeve, so I really enjoy [being single].”
She added that she’s open to falling in love again — but not tying the knot.
“Maybe in the future, you never know — well, I do know I won’t get married again — but you never know about love,” the Voice coach said. “I think we’re engineered, especially from where I’m from, to have to have that, and I don’t have that need. And I think that’s also what you learn about yourself in those hard moments.”
Still, Clarkson wouldn’t change her mistakes. “I’m not going to poo-poo on what was because what was is what got me here,” she concluded.