AceShowbiz - Kelsea Ballerini realized for a long time her marriage to Morgan Evans wasn't working. The "Miss Me More" hitmaker married the "Kiss Somebody" country singer, 37, in 2017 and, while she knew their relationship wouldn't always be "butterflies and rainbows," she finally called it a day earlier this year when they were unable to recapture their spark.

"For a while, it was kind of like, 'OK, this is just a new phase of a relationship,' because relationships go through seasons, right? And it's not always going to be butterflies and rainbows," the 29-year-old country singer told the iHeartRadio podcast "Tell Me About It with Jade Iovine".

"For a long time, I was like, 'Oh this is just… The glitter wears off. That's what happens.' And then you get into a phase where you wait for it to come back. And then sometimes it doesn't.' "

Kelsea called staying in an unhappy relationship a "disservice" to yourself and that any judgement she receives reflects poorly on her critics. She said, "At the end of the day, it is such a disservice and a dishonouring of yourself if you know something is not right and you stay. '[Shame] is the one thing that I just refuse to feel… Judge me for it, fine, that's on you."

The Country Music Award winner - who finalised the divorce last month - admitted to needing to "heal properly" with the support of her friends and family. Kelsea said, "Whether it was my mom or my dad or my friends, I've had my people really rally for me and I'm not ready to be alone yet. And I don't think that I'm avoiding anything, 'cause I'm definitely in my feels, cause I really want to heal properly… But yeah, I don't think that's what I need right now."