LeAnn Rimes Reflects on Public Backlash Following Eddie Cibrian Affair

The country star, now 42, first met Cibrian, 52, back in 2009 while filming the Lifetime movie Northern Lights. At the time, both were married -- Rimes to dancer Dean Sheremet, and Cibrian to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville.

In a candid interview with Flow Space, the "How Do I Live" singer got real about how crazy her life got after the affair went public.

"I realized very quickly that there are a lot of women who've been hurt," Rimes said. "Like, I've been on both sides of that coin -- I've been cheated on, too, so I know that feeling. But so many women don't know what to do with that anger … I was a target that was just easily projected upon. And once I realized that, things got a lot easier."

Rimes said coming to terms with the weight of the public's judgment helped her heal.

"Instead of taking it personally," she explained, "I realized, 'This is not all my pain to carry.' I know what I'm responsible for in the situation and making amends for that. But you know, the world's pain is not mine to carry, and I think that really got thrown at me for a long time."

Rimes and Cibrian tied the knot in 2011 in a small ceremony that included Cibrian's sons, whom he shares with Glanville, Mason and Jake.

And while the affair rocked their lives and even made its way onto Bravo, the couple are still going strong, more than a decade later.

When asked about the secret to their lasting relationship, Cibrian joked to the outlet, "Because we are in bed by 7:30!"

Things have settled down with Glanville as well, with the group forming a blended family and often getting together over the holidays and during milestone moments for the former couple's now-adult sons.

"I don't know how we did it, all three of us, LeAnn, Eddie and myself. We -- that's a big thing for me to say, we. We have amazing children. … We'll have a fight one week, and then we won't. But that comes with parenting two teenagers," Glanville told Entertainment Tonight in a 2019 interview about their family dynamic.

The reality star, meanwhile, has remained single since her split from Cibrian, dating on and off over the years, though her recent facial disfigurement has led to her abstaining from sex for over a year.

"I have places to go, people to make out with. I have not had sex since last October," she admitted during a December podcast interview, adding that she hopes it clears up soon. "I haven't kissed [or] made out with anyone. I haven't socialized, really."