Kelly Clarkson, 38, is going through a divorce and she has been honest about her struggles. She was married for almost seven years to Brandon Blackstock.
Divorce is hard enough as it is, and to go through it by ourselves can be even harder, which is why it feels comforting when our friends and family rally behind us. Of course, not everyone has a strong support system, but some people are fortunate that others would like to help them out in any way they can. Talk show host and singer Kelly Clarkson, who is going through a divorce after being married for almost seven years to Brandon Blackstock, seems to have the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on her side.
Dr. Biden, who has faced divorce once, had some great advice for Clarkson, 38, when she was on The Kelly Clarkson Show. They talked about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but also about matters of the heart. The First Lady of the United States, 69, was married to Bill Stevenson for around five years before marrying Joe Biden, to whom she's been married since 1977.
"This is what I would say to you if I were your mother," Dr. Biden began, according to Hollywood Life. "You know, my mother always said to me, 'things are going to look better tomorrow,'" she shared, adding, "And if you can take one day at a time, things will get better." She also reflected on her own divorce, which happened over four decades ago. "I look back on it now and I think, you know, if I hadn’t gotten divorced, I never would’ve met Joe [Biden]," she said.
"I wouldn’t have the beautiful family I have now. So, I really think things happen for the best, and I think, Kelly, over time — I don’t know how long it’s been for you — but I think, over time you heal," she assured the singer. "You’re gonna be surprised," Dr. Biden revealed to Clarkson. "And I can’t wait until the day comes for you. And you’re gonna call me up and you’re gonna say, ‘Hey, Jill! You were right!'" she added.
According to People magazine, Clarkson noted that Biden and her mom, Jeanne Taylor, have a lot in common. "There are a lot of qualities she has that remind me of my mother," Clarkson said. "They were born the same year, they're the oldest of a lot of siblings, they both are teachers." Clarkson added, "It was just kind of incredible to see those kinds of parallels." She added, "It made me really proud."
The 69-year-old First Lady, who is an English professor, has been credited by her husband for being the "backbone" of their family. She told People in January 2021 that they are always leaning on each other for help and encouragement.
"All that we've been through together — the highs, the lows and certainly tragedy and loss — there's that quote that says sometimes you become stronger in the fractured places. That's what we try to achieve," Dr. Biden said.
The Bidens met when they were set up by President Joe Biden's brother. "I was a senior, and I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts. He came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought, 'God, this is never going to work, not in a million years.' He was nine years older than I am! But we really hit it off ... I went upstairs and called my mother at 1:00 a.m. and said, 'Mom, I finally met a gentleman,'" Dr.Biden told Vogue.
The relationship became serious pretty soon and she began taking care of Joe's sons, whose mother, President Biden's first wife, had passed away in a car crash. "When Joe worked late, I would go over to make dinner and keep them company," she wrote in her memoir, Where the Light Enters, as excerpted in TIME. "I would help pick them up from school sometimes, or we'd pass an evening watching TV. We started to build our own relationship separate from their dad," she added.
She reportedly turned down his marriage proposal five times and was wary of marriage after going through a divorce. "[To each proposal], I said, 'Not yet. Not yet. Not yet.' Because by that time, of course, I had fallen in love with the boys, and I really felt that this marriage had to work. Because they had lost their mom, and I couldn't have them lose another mother," she told Vogue. "So I had to be 100 percent sure." She eventually said yes and they have been together ever since.
References:
https://hollywoodlife.com/2021/02/24/jill-biden-kelly-clarkson-divorce-advice-interview/
https://people.com/politics/first-lady-dr-jill-biden-gives-kelly-clarkson-advice-divorce-interview/
https://www.vogue.com/article/joe-jill-biden-love-story-pull-heartstrings
https://time.com/longform/jill-biden-joe-biden-marriage-proposal/
Cover image source: Getty Images|Photo by (L) Jared Siskin, (R)Alex Wong
