Not only does Kelly Clarkson look better than ever, but the pop star says she’s happier than ever, too! The first American Idol winner opens up in Redbook’s June/July issue, revealing how she’s paying it forward with her hit new singing competition show Duets, how finding love has made her happier than ever, and how she slimmed down in no time!
“I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight,” she said of her recent slim down. “I don’t like free weights, because I build muscle easily.”
But don’t expect the pop star to disappear before our eyes; she has no desire to be stick-thin – just healthy! “Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy,” she says. “I have no desire to be super-skinny.”
Weight and body image aside, Kelly admits it hasn’t been an easy ride. She struggled with finding happiness and support, despite having won American Idol. In fact, she says she almost quit the industry a dozen times!
“I’m going to be completely honest – I had no one looking out for me. They were looking out for the show, and it was horrible. I was 19 years old. I was smart enough to know that it wasn’t about me, but that didn’t make it any easier. I’m all cried out about it, but my first four years, I hated my life; I almost quit a dozen times.”
But now, Kelly is happier than ever, thanks in part to her boyfriend Brandon Blackstock.
“Where’s the kick in the ass? I told my assistant that today. I said, ‘I’m just waiting for something to blow up.’ She said, ‘No, that’s what happiness is.’ I’m like, maybe I’ve never been happy! Because Brandon does – he makes me happy.”
