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Carly Pearce has revealed that she knew the night she married Michael Ray that it was a mistake. The Grammy-nominated country singer told Bunnie XO on her podcast Dumb Blonde that her relationship with her former husband, Michael Ray, was not rooted in love, but in lust, and they divorced eight months after their wedding.

Carly Pearce Said ‘I Knew the Night I Got Married That It Was a Mistake’

Pearce, who was born in Kentucky, has had success in country music, with her hit songs Every Little Thing and Should’ve Known Better. However, her marriage to her fellow country singer, Michael Ray, was not the same. “I thought he was so cute,” Pearce said when describing her early relationship with Ray. “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.”

Pearce further stated that she “got married to go the distance” when she and Ray tied the knot in 2019. She got married for the right reasons, but stated that she and Ray did not have “real conversations” and “didn’t really know about each other.”

Pearce further said, “We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality. We did not have the real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other. So it was a real wake-up call when we were together full time, and we were, I guess, honest with each other.”

The country singer also added that she knew the day she got married that she shouldn’t have and admitted that it was the right call to end the marriage. She added that the COVID-19 pandemic came at the right time for her 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.”

Pearce Said COVID-19 Was a Blessing in Disguise

She further added that “I was embarrassed when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken.” Although the singer and songwriter got married to Michael Ray in 2019, in 2020, Pearce filed for divorce and ended their relationship, which had made her question her own worth.

Divorce Rumors, What Went Wrong, and Everything Happens for a Reason

Pearce stated that when she “signed up for a marriage,” it wasn’t what she had signed up for and did not look like what she had planned. “I just knew that was it for me,” the country star added.

Pearce and Bunnie XO also briefly touched on the subject of rumors that had been reported about Ray cheating on the country singer. Pearce did not confirm if the rumors were true, but stated that hearing the rumors made it even more difficult for her to go through her marriage publicly.

The country singer added, “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.”

The divorce from her husband made Pearce aware that she has a lot of self-worth and that her past partner has helped her become the woman that she is today. “I am in the happiest season of my life,” she continued. “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.”

Pearce stated that the end of the marriage with Michael Ray made her recognize how much she truly loves herself. “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.

Pearce Is Grateful for the Painful Season of Her Life

Pearce, who is now in a relationship with Michael Hardy, has been putting her renewed self-worth into her work. The country singer released “29: Written in Stone” last summer and has been on tour.

The singer also talked about how her divorce from her husband, Michael Ray, made her embarrassed and ashamed. She further stated that she is no longer in a position where she is embarrassed or shamed by her actions because she realized that every season of life is sent by God to make her better.