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In a new interview, Carly Pearce admitted that she knew from the moment she got married that she had made a mistake. The Grammy-winning country singer told Bunnie XO during an episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast that she and her ex-husband, country singer Michael Ray, only made it official on paper because they were living in the moment and not in reality.

Pearce, who hails from Kentucky and made a name for herself with hits like “Every Little Thing” and “Should’ve Known Better,” first got engaged to Ray after a whirlwind romance that she entered not thinking too much about their engagement, but only feeling like she was making the right decision at the time. “I thought he was so cute,” Pearce shared when Bunnie XO asked about the earliest stages of their relationship. “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.”

The 33-year-old singer quickly clarified that she did not walk into their marriage thinking it would not work out, only that she was “in the moment” with Ray. “I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons,” she added.

Pearce, however, said that looking back on the failed marriage, they never really had important conversations to determine what both wanted from a serious relationship and foundation. “We didn’t have real conversations, and we didn’t really know about each other,” she said. “We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality.”

She also said that she instantly regretted the decision and knew something was wrong with her relationship with Ray. “I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have. It was so immediate,” Pearce said. She added that, for that reason, the COVID-19 pandemic in some ways became a “gift in disguise” since, despite having to quarantine without her family for two months, she got time and space to mourn her broken marriage 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,” she said. “It was so embarrassing when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken.”

Pearce Filed for Divorce, Cried ‘Enough’ When Couple Gossiped About

Pearce and Ray got married in 2019 and filed for divorce in 2020 after eight months of marriage. Although the “Every Little Thing” singer has remained tight-lipped about the details that led to her splitting from Ray, Pearce said that as soon as they started living together, “it wasn’t what I signed up for.” “It just wasn’t the marriage that I knew I deserved. I knew that very quickly,” she said. “Plenty happened to where it was very clear to me this was not, this just wasn’t a marriage.”

On the podcast, Pearce and Bunnie XO also briefly touched on rumors that Ray had cheated on Pearce during their relationship. Although she did not go into details or confirm those claims, she said it was hard to defend herself against the rumors and gossip she and Ray were facing at the time. “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 added that she would tell her younger self not to “give up” and “cry enough.” “The thing I’d say is that I would have told myself not to give up and cry enough. You did enough of that,” she said.

The Country Queen Says Divorce Made Her Realize Her Self-Worth

Pearce and Ray went their separate ways in 2020. The divorce not only left her learning what she “really deserved” from her relationships and marriages, but also how much she truly cared for herself. “I think I was really shown just how much I care about myself,” Pearce said. “I actually really have a lot of self-worth, and that showed me that.”

Pearce, whose career is flourishing, her new husband is also on the rise in the country music genre, and she recently gave birth to her first child, says that she is now in a better place than ever. “I am in the happiest season of my life,” she said during the interview. “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.”