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The night she and country singer Michael Ray got married, Carly Pearce knew it was a mistake. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter recently sat down with Bunnie XO for the Dumb Blonde podcast to open up about the brief marriage to Ray, saying that she knew that night their relationship was based more on lust than on love.

Pearce tied the knot with Ray in 2019, and the couple got divorced just eight months later. Pearce admitted that while she thought she was doing the right thing at the time, it quickly became clear it was a decision she regretted. “I thought he was so cute. 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,” she said, recalling how it all started.

Pearce explained that Ray was her first love, and she wanted to do everything in her power to make it work. “I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons. I mean, we didn’t have real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other. We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality, and we should have,” the singer went on to say.

Pearce Said She Knew It Was a Mistake on the Wedding Day

Pearce revealed that during the wedding, she felt like something was off. “I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have,” Pearce said. “I thought that I made a mistake.”

Pearce went on to add that while the COVID-19 pandemic brought much pain into the world, she is grateful that the divorce came at that time because it allowed her to grieve in private. “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,” Pearce went on to add. “I was embarrassed when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken.”

Pearce Filed for Divorce Eight Months After They Tied the Knot

Pearce and Ray filed for divorce in 2020, eight months after they got married. Since their divorce, Pearce has not spoken about what caused the dissolution of the marriage. She has, however, confirmed that it did not turn out as she had imagined, sharing that it wasn’t the kind of relationship she deserved. “It wasn’t what I signed up for. 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,” Pearce said.

While on Dumb Blonde, Pearce and Bunnie XO briefly touched on a rumor that Ray was cheating on Pearce. While the “If I Didn’t Love You” singer did not confirm or deny the rumors, she shared that it hurt to read and hear those claims while knowing the truth of the situation. “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.”

Pearce Said the Failed Marriage Made Her Stronger

Pearce has gone on to admit that the failed marriage to Ray helped her grow as a person. While it was a deeply painful and emotional experience, she came out on the other side more certain of her worth and self-esteem. “I am in the happiest season of my life. 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 shared.

The “I Hope You’re Happy Now” singer said that the divorce taught her to care about herself more than she did before. “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 explained.