Kenny Chesney's flash-in-the-pan marriage to actress Renee Zellweger ended nearly five whole years ago--which seems like an eternity in terms of today's media pace--but fans undoubtedly have always been wondering what exactly happened between the pair. Zellweger cited the legal but vague cause of "fraud" as grounds for annulment of the four-month union, sparking waves of gossip as to what really caused the breakup.
Friday afternoon, Chesney spoke frankly on the Oprah Winfrey Show about the real reasons behind the failure of his relationship with Zellweger. Stating several times that he "panicked" after entering marriage, he elaborated further to Oprah:
"I look at my life as a box. So everything that I put in--learn how to play guitar, put that in the box. The friends I made. I put that in the box, and my career grew. Everything around me--all of the awards and all of the songs I wrote and all the success and everything--I put in that box. That box built grew into this wonderful house. And you protect everything and all the relationships and all the people that helped you build that house. And this is the first time I've actually talked about it, but that's what happened. I protected that box."
When Oprah then asked, "Was your marriage in or out of the box?" Chesney answered "Out of the box."
"Oh my God, but it's tough. It really is tough," he noted. "And [Zellweger]'s a sweet soul, no doubt about it, but I just wasn't ready."
However, he did also tell Oprah that he definitely would like to marry and have a family one day. "I'm always going to want to write songs and get out and play them for somebody...but yes, I could see me settling down at some point."
Chesney also discussed his decision to take a break from touring (""I felt like that if it ever got mechanical, I was going to back away from it. And it did last year"), his intense connection with his fans, and his close relationship with his grandmother.
Additionally, he spoke at length about his debut documentary film, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, which will hit theaters for two weeks starting April 21. (FYI: Stay tuned--I'll be interviewing him next week about this very subject!)
You can see clips from the Oprah interview here. Enjoy!
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