Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Kelly Clarkson says she wasn't expecting her divorce from Brandon Blackstock.
The 38-year-old singer and television personality discussed her split from Blackstock, 43, during The Kelly Clarkson Show Season 2 premiere Monday.
Speaking on set in front of a virtual audience, Clarkson addressed her "dumpster fire" of a year.
"2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life. Definitely didn't see anything coming that came," she said.
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June after nearly four years of marriage. The couple have two children together, River Rose, 5, and Remy Alexander, 4. Blackstock also has two kids, Savannah, 18, and Seth, 13, from his previous marriage.
"What I'm dealing with is hard, because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts. We have four kids," Clarkson said.
"And divorce is never easy. And we're both from divorced families, so we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts," she added.
Clarkson said she's "usually very open" about her personal life but will be prioritizing the well-being of her kids.
"I usually talk about everything...but probably won't go too far into it, because I'm a mama bear and my kids come first," she said. "But I am okay."
Clarkson said in an interview with Today last week that her divorce has been hard on everyone involved.
"You see yourself growing old with someone, and then life has a different path," she said.
"It's just a tricky thing to navigate," she added. "It's hard on everyone involved. Anybody that's been through it, it's just a really, really hard, difficult thing."
Clarkson will return as a coach in The Voice Season 19. She will host the Billboard Music Awards for a third time in October.
