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Carly Pearce’s marriage to fellow country singer Michael Ray came and went quickly, and in an interview, the American Idol alum said that she knew the day she got married, it was the wrong decision. The Grammy award-winning artist opened up to Bunnie XO on her Dumb Blonde podcast. The budding singer expressed that she was in a whirlwind with Michael, their relationship was based on lust and nothing more, and those factors caused their split. The former duo filed for divorce in 2020, just eight months after tying the knot.

The Kentucky native, who had some major hits such as Every Little Thing and Should’ve Known Better, the singer described the events that led to her nuptials to Michael. During their initial relationship, the now solo singer said that she thought she was making the right decision. “I thought he was so cute. I’d heard he’s the nicest guy in the world. I invited him to my No. 1 party for Every Little Thing. Looking back on it, it was a hot and heavy lust. It wasn’t love. It was just passionate,” she stated.

Pearce added that, despite those misgivings, when she first walked down the aisle, she was positive it was the right move. “I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons,” Pearce assured. However, she continued and shared that her divorce from Michael was the singer’s own fault because they did not have a proper relationship and took the time to get to know each other better. “We didn’t have real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other. We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality,” she said.

The former couple shared that the quick wedding and rushed relationship were initially one of Pearce’s ideas. She added that on her wedding day, she felt it was the wrong decision. “I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have,” she remarked, later expressing how the COVID-19 pandemic served as a blessing in disguise because the then newlyweds were not able to be out and about publicly. “I think the best thing that ever happened to me was COVID because it allowed me to deal with that in private. I probably would have stayed in it longer if I could have avoided it and not had to. … I was embarrassed when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken.”

Pearce: Divorce, Rumors, and Accepting Her Self-Worth

Carly Pearce and Michael Ray divorced in 2020, just eight months after their 2019 wedding. The singer has been tight-lipped about her split from Michael, but she did reveal that the marriage was nothing like she imagined and said it was not her ideal. “It wasn’t what I signed up for. It just wasn’t the marriage that I knew I deserved. I knew that very quickly. Plenty happened to where it was very clear to me this was not, this just wasn’t a marriage,” Pearce shared.

Pearce and Bunnie touched on rumors that surfaced during the couple’s relationship, with the host asking if Michael had ever been unfaithful. The singer said nothing of the allegations but did share that it was hard to hear people’s opinions at the time, and more so, defending herself in public. “People have all their opinions, and, at first, that was so hard for me because I was like, ‘That’s not true, that’s not true, that’s not true. What he’s saying isn’t true.’ But, at the end of the day, my friends who walked that with me know. My parents know, and God knows, and that is enough. It’s enough.”

Pearce has since moved on from the ex-couple and has become better with herself. The rise of her solo career has shown her that she is a strong woman, and through the divorce, she learned to love herself more. “I am in the happiest season of my life,” Pearce shared. “If I ever saw him, if he ever watches this, thank you, because you taught me more about myself. You taught me how strong I am. You put me through things that have made me better now. And I don’t wish him evil. I don’t wish anything on him. I’m so glad that I’m not in that anymore.”

Carly added that the divorce has taught her that she loves herself more than she realized. She also shared that before the breakup, she was aware that her marriage was on rocky grounds, but it was the divorce that made it so real. “I think I was really shown just how much I care about myself. I actually really have a lot of self-worth, and that showed me that,” she said.

The singer is currently dating and engaged to Michael Weatherly, her manager. “I’m officially engaged! I’m so happy to have found someone with whom I can see myself forever,” Pearce said in her social media announcement. “He is sweet, he is respectful, he is kind, and he is just so easy to be with. I can’t wait for everyone to meet my man. His name is Michael. Michael Weatherly.”