When the parents separate, the world collapses for many children. US singer Kelly Clarkson (40) is experiencing this in a painful way: In a podcast she has now spoken openly about her divorce and the consequences for her two children.

"I ask my kids every night when we're cuddling if they're happy," she explains. "And if not, what could make them happier." The reaction of daughter River (8) and son Remington (6) is then often heartbreaking: "They often say, you know, I'm just really sad. I wish mommy and daddy lived in the same house."

Clarkson and ex-husband Brandon Blackstock (46) married in 2013, and the singer filed for divorce in 2020. Although it is difficult to see her children suffer, she always encourages them to be open and honest, Clarkson said: "I would never say, oh God, don't tell me that."

She can understand her children's feelings well, since she herself comes from a divorced household: "I understand that, it's crap, but we'll manage."