First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Gives Kelly Clarkson Advice on Managing a Divorce in New Interview

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is sharing some advice about divorce with singer and television host Kelly Clarkson in a new interview airing Thursday.

"This is what I would say to you if I were your mother," Biden, 69, tells Clarkson, 38, in a clip from their upcoming interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

"My mother always said to me, 'Things are going to look better tomorrow. And if you can take one day at a time, things will get better,' " the first lady continues.

Clarkson, 38, filed for divorce last June from estranged husband Brandon Blackstock, whom she was married to for seven years.

In September, the former American Idol winner said, "My life has been a little bit of a dumpster," due to their separation.

Biden divorced her first husband, bar owner Bill Stevenson, after about five years of marriage, before she met Joe Biden, her future husband and president, in 1975. The Bidens married in 1977.

"If I hadn't gotten divorced, I never would've met Joe," Biden tells Clarkson. "I wouldn't have the beautiful family I have now, so I really think things happen for the best."

Biden predicts the same will happen for Clarkson — in due time.

"I think, Kelly, over time — I don't know how long it's been for you — but, I think, over time you heal and you're going to be surprised," the first lady says. "And I can't wait until that day comes for you."

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wcDcsdElEY

RELATED: Joe and Jill Biden Tour Valentine's Day Decorations on White House Lawn

Dr. Biden, an English professor, has been credited by her husband as the "backbone" of the first family. The first couple met after Biden, 78, lost his first wife Neilia and their infant daughter Naomi in a 1972 car accident.

The first lady told PEOPLE last month, in her and the president's first White House interview, that the first couple routinely leans on each other for help and encouragement.

"All that we've been through together — the highs, the lows and certainly tragedy and loss — there's that quote that says sometimes you become stronger in the fractured places. That's what we try to achieve," Dr. Biden said.

RELATED: In First White House Interview, Joe & Jill Biden Talk Marriage, Family, Prayer — and the Challenges Ahead

In another clip NBC shared with PEOPLE ahead of Thursday's interview, Clarkson says the first lady and her own mother, Jeanne Taylor, have a lot in common.

"There are a lot of qualities she has that remind me of my mother," Clarkson says. "They were born the same year, they're the oldest of a lot of siblings, they both are teachers."

Clarkson adds "it was just kind of incredible to see those kinds of parallels."

"It made me really proud," Clarkson adds.

Source: Read Full Article