Country star Reba McEntire recently opened up about what her marriage with Narvel Blackstock was really like. In an appearance earlier this month on The Drew Barrymore Show, Reba finally revealed how she felt about her time with her former husband. She described it as a “situation” that had always really been about “business.”
The 68-year-old went on to add that she thought that this “works for some people.” She said other couples “can be married or have a relationship and work together.” However, Reba said of her own relationship that “our work was all the time.”
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It was only through work that they first met. The singer said that before their 26-year marriage, Narvel and Reba met when they “started out working together in the band.”
She explained that Narvel “was part of the band, and then became my manager, later on then my husband.” Reba added, “It was a situation that was always business – whether we were getting ready in the morning, pillow talk, whatever, but it was business.”
She even said that their relationship was still all work when they took vacations to “recharge their batteries.” After just a few days of enjoying their break, Reba told Drew that they would have an idea for something else they could work on. She recalled, “About three days into a vacation it was like, ‘You know what we can do?’”
Reba and Narvel Share a Child Together
Despite Reba only sharing details of her former relationship in the last few days, her marriage has been over for years. Us Weekly reported that the couple married in 1989 and split in 2015. It was also reported that Narvel got a fortune after breaking up with his famous wife, walking away with over $47 million.
Before his marriage to Reba, Narvel had been married once before. This led to the birth of his first three children, including Kelly Clarkson’s ex Brandon Blackstock. Narvel and Reba share one child, Shelby, who celebrated his 34th birthday last month.
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People magazine reported that Reba sent her son a special birthday tribute on Instagram on his birthday. She shared a picture of herself and Shelby along with a caption in which she called her son “one of the biggest blessings of my life.”
Reba also joked in her message that she felt “a lot better” than she did “34 years ago.” She went on to thank God for letting her experience being a mama. She signed off by saying that she loved Shelby “with all my heart and soul.”
In 2022, Reba talked about how proud she was of her son in an interview with People. Reba was also sure to praise her ex-husband for his part in raising their son.
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Reba said that Shelby, who she said had struggled at school, was “always trying to improve and do better.” She then added, “His daddy did a great job, too.”
Although their marriage proved to be too focused on work, Reba feels grateful to have had Narvel in her life.
