It’s been a tough year, but Carly Pearce is finally ready to move on.

The star has put away her wedding dress and everything else that reminds her of her former life with fellow country music artist Michael Ray, and she’s moving forward on her own. Now, she’s opening up about her life after filing for divorce earlier this year, and what she’s been through since the couple’s contentious split.

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As you’ll recall, Pearce and Ray broke up earlier this year after just eight months of marriage, and right in the middle of the first major coronavirus pandemic quarantine and lockdown that swept across the country. Stunned by the sudden split at the time, Pearce has since gotten her bearings as a single woman once again. Ray has moved on by dating Travis Tritt‘s 22-year-old daughter, Tyler.

But for the 30-year-old country crooner, reflection rules the day. Pearce sat down with People on Wednesday and opened up about her short-lived marriage to the 32-year-old. To hear her tell it, the Kentucky native has come to terms with their divorce, even as she now “realized we were not meant to be.”

The singer explained (below):

“I believe we don’t go through things that we’re not supposed to go through. My love was real. I will stand by that forever. I did everything that I knew how to do, but it takes two people to work on something. This was not a flippant decision. This was something that I really took time to make sure I was doing the right thing. It was very clear that this was not the marriage that I wanted.”

And while many have speculated that the pandemic-related quarantine is what destined the marriage for the dumps, Pearce also wanted to set the record straight on that.

Calling these two a coronavirus couple is not true, and the marriage was “already on rocky ground” before their confinement. The pandemic, Pearce said, simply allowed her to start to figure some things out.

Related: Another Country Singer Has Tested Positive For COVID-19 Ahead Of Concert

In fact, she how the coronavirus actually robbed her of something even more important: connecting live with fans. She said:

“For me, my vice isn’t alcohol or drugs or anything like that. It’s the stage — it’s my artistry, my love of music — and I haven’t had the stage. So, this has been the first situation where I’ve really done the work, to work through the pain, and I think I’m better for it.”

Interesting!

That doesn’t mean things didn’t hurt, though. The aftermath of the split itself was admittedly brutal. The Bluegrass state beauty doesn’t sugarcoat it when discussing the first few months after breaking up:

“I truly thought I was gonna die. There were moments I seriously did not know if I could breathe. It was awful. It is awful. But I think that what’s been awesome has been trusting myself and trusting what I have always known, which is God won’t take me through something that he won’t bring me out of or bring good from.”

Wow…

The toughest times appear to be in the past now, though. And while she’s not all the way back to normal, Pearce explained she can see the finish line ahead:

“I’m sure that anybody who’s ever gone through this goes through different emotions. I’ve been sad. I’ve been angry. I’ve been relieved. I try to not be mad at myself. I try to not be mad at him. I think that holding grudges or staying mad only hurts you, and it’s just not healthy. So, I try to remind myself of that. And sure, I have days where I’m so mad at myself for just not knowing this was how it was all going to end up for me. My gosh, if I could go back, sure. But it’s a part of my story, and that’s okay.”

That’s maturity right there. For better or worse!

And while dating isn’t quite yet on the horizon — Pearce revealed she wants “to heal my heart” and “focus on music and do the work” right now — that doesn’t mean she isn’t thinking about the future.

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She summed things up with an optimistic outlook on what may come next:

“I am hopeful. I want somebody. I desire marriage. I desire companionship. I desire a family. I desire all of those things. I think that having divorce as a part of your story is hard. It’s a hard reality. It’s been hard for me to accept that and not be embarrassed or feel like I’m defined by that. But in reality, I know that I’m not. I’ve come to a place of just accepting that everybody has a journey, and this is mine — and the right person will be able to love me through that.”

Amen to that!

Thoughts, Perezcious readers?

Share your reactions down in the comments (below)!

[Image via Judy Eddy/WENN]

The post Country Music Star Carly Pearce Breaks Silence On Michael Ray Divorce: 'I Truly Thought I Was Gonna Die' appeared first on Perez Hilton.