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Carly Pearce has revealed that she knew the night she got married that she should have never signed the papers. The “Every Little Thing” hitmaker opened up about her short-lived marriage to country singer Michael Ray on Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast. While discussing the situation, Pearce admitted that it was more lust than love with Ray and that she almost immediately regretted tying the knot with him.

Pearce, a Kentucky native who is best known for songs like “Every Little Thing,” “Closer to You,” and “Should’ve Known Better” got married to Michael Ray in 2019. She admitted that despite eventually realizing they were not a good match, she had “genuinely thought” that Ray was the one at the time. “I thought he was so cute,” Pearce added. “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.”

Carly Pearce Said She Knew the Night She Got Married That It Was Mistake

The country music artist also made it clear that she did not take the decision to marry Ray lightly. “I got married to go the distance. When I married him, it was for the right reasons,” Pearce insisted. “We just 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.”

The “I Hope You’re Happy Now” singer went on to reveal that on the day of the wedding, she could sense things were off. “I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have,” Pearce said. “I kind of knew from the beginning. And I’m so glad that it didn’t work. And I’m glad that I know that now.” She then added that while the COVID-19 pandemic was a terrible situation to be in, she “credits the worldwide outbreak” for giving her the time and privacy to think things through without feeling embarrassed or judged by others.

“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. … I was embarrassed when it happened … and I had shame around that and was heartbroken,” she shared.

Pearce and Bunnie XO have also briefly touched on rumors that Ray was cheating on his now-ex-wife. While Pearce didn’t confirm or deny the cheating allegations, she did admit that it was challenging to see people share their opinions on the situation and have to defend herself in the public eye. “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, they know. My parents know and God knows, and that is enough. It’s enough.”

Pearce Rebuilding Her Self-Worth

Pearce has now moved on and appears to be in a much better place both personally and professionally. While she is still focusing on her career, Pearce now has a newfound self-love and appreciation for her own self-worth. “I am in the happiest season of my life,” she said. “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.”