Kelly Clarkson Shares Lesson She's Learned After Split From Husband Brandon Blackstock

Kelly Clarkson has revealed that she's learned a lot this year after filing for divorce from estranged husband Brandon Blackstock in June.

The "American Idol" alum got candid about her 2020 experience on Wednesday's episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," revealing the personal changes and progress she made.

"Even at 38, I feel like I'm always changing and progressing in a good sense, in a good way. I always want to make sure I'm being the best version of myself," Clarkson said.

"You are who you surround yourself with," she continued. "You want to make sure you're surrounded by people that also want to be the best versions of themselves and also have a good, common goal for everyone, not just themselves."

Clarkson went on to share the “good lesson” she learned this year.

"It's been a really good lesson to learn that people could be bad for you at a certain time. I think that everybody goes, 'Oh, that just means they're bad.' It doesn't necessarily mean that, it just means you're on different paths," the singer continued. "I think that that's OK. Everybody's on a different learning curve and everybody's learning something different at different times."

Despite the end of her nearly-seven-year marriage with Blackstock, Clarkson found joy in her family, friends and job, sharing that it was cool to be surrounded by people she could lean on. She also acknowledged finding happiness in her work after taking a break and revealed that she was planning fun things with her children such as going to the beach.

Clarkson is open about her life, but she has not been vocal when it comes to her divorce. In a previous interview, the talk show host explained that she keeps the matter private because "there's a lot of hearts involved there," referring to their two kids, River, 6, and Remington, 4.

"And you know, that's the thing that's been kind of hard to navigate is I am an open book, but at some point I'm a mama bear more than I am a person in the public eye. So, I care one hundred percent more about my children than I do anything else on this planet," she explained.

"So, that's been the hard thing of, like, yes, I'm willing to share my experience and yes, it is the worst. I mean, the past few months have been horribly sad," she continued. "But at the same time, I have to think, 'Hmmm, like, what I say has a domino effect in other people's lives.’"

Meanwhile, following her separation from her husband, Clarkson was sued by her father-in-law Narvel Blackstock’s company, Starstruck Management Group, for unpaid commissions worth over $1 million.

However, she countersued the company in October for several violations, including allegedly "procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements" without a talent agency license.