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In a recent interview, Carly Pearce opened up about a very painful period in her life. The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter admitted that, from the moment she and her then-husband, Michael Ray, walked down the aisle in 2019, she knew it was the wrong decision.

During a conversation on Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast, Pearce revealed that the start of their relationship “was just lust.” Pearce says the married life she envisioned with the country singer wasn’t what the couple’s relationship really was. “I didn’t sign up for a short-term relationship. I wanted the real thing. It was just passionate,” she continued.

Pearce, known for hits like Every Little Thing and Should’ve Known Better, said she knew almost immediately that the two of them were a mistake. “I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have,” the Kentucky-born star admitted, and later revealed that she believed Ray was cute and had also heard he was a kind man. She went on to note, “I thought he was so cute … 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.”

The two married in 2019 but divorced only eight months later. But despite her misgivings and her intuition, Pearce notes that she still went into their marriage with the best intentions. “I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons,” she says.

Pearce and Ray officially announced their divorce in 2020. While they have not shared the reason for the split, in a 2021 interview with The Country Post, Pearce noted that the marriage was not what she expected. “It wasn’t what I signed up for,” she said. “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.”

Ray and Pearce never spent much time dating before getting married, according to the singer. “We didn’t have real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other,” she said during the interview on Dumb Blonde. “We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality.” The fast-paced relationship and subsequent marriage have resulted in a great deal of heartbreak for the musician.

Pearce and Bunnie later touched on the rumors that Ray cheated on the singer. Bunnie XO, in particular, noted the fast nature of their relationship and marriage. “The idea that you gave someone access to your heart and to your life that quickly,” Bunnie says. “Like, if they could do that to you and not be honest with you and you could trust them in that little time, you’re f—ed.”

Pearce would not confirm the cheating allegations but did confirm that it was not how she envisioned her marriage to Ray. While she admits she was disappointed, she also credits this season as having brought a great deal of growth for her. “I think a couple of the situations that happened taught me my self-worth is so high,” she later added.

Pearce and Bunnie later discussed what caused the separation and eventual divorce. “I just think when people don’t show up and speak up. In the beginning, you knew, and you just kept going. You didn’t speak up,” Bunnie commented.

“I know now that I should have, but I didn’t,” Pearce replied. “I was embarrassed when it happened. And I just had shame around that and was heartbroken. 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. … At the time, I thought I was going to have a wedding and a divorce at the same time. I thought I would lose everything.”

Pearce now seems to have recovered from the incident. As noted, the two musicians finally divorced in the summer of 2020, a few months after the announcement. While she has been very open about her life with Michael Ray, she has not shared the details. However, she is no longer ashamed of the situation and even thanks her ex-husband for showing her her true self. She noted, “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, 33, is now focused on herself and her career. She recently released her new single, Ready For You. The song was released on May 27, and the full video is expected to drop soon. In addition, her next live show is the Faster 2022 Tour, in which she will perform with Ingrid Andress and DJ DMD. The shows will run from July 15 through October 1.