Culture October 9, 2019

Mary J. Blige says she regrets praising her ex-husband for helping end her drug addiction

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Now that Mary J. Blige is divorced from Kendu Isaacs, she said she regrets publicly thanking her ex-husband for helping her end her drug addiction.

"He did not deserve that credit," the Queen of Hip Hop Soul told Self Magazine.

"I wanted a savior," she explained. "I'd been hurting so long, and so much, and so bad."

The nine-time Grammy winner said it was her own inner strength that allowed her to kick her drug habit.

(MORE: Mary J. Blige shares advice for her younger self)

"I've seen visions of what I would look like if I kept doing drugs," she said. "If I saw myself almost dying, or if I almost died, or almost O.D.'d, why would I do that again?"

Blige married Isaacs in 2003 and filed for divorce in 2016. The divorce was finalized in June 2018.

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Mary claimed that during their marriage, Isaacs spent more than $420,000 on "travel charges" involving a woman with whom he was having an affair.

Looking back at their relationship, she said, "I had to forgive myself for being so stupid."

Despite all the pain, she added, "I had to forgive him for everything he did."

(MORE: BET Awards: Mary J. Blige receives Lifetime Achievement Award, 'Central Park 5' recognized)

The singer from New York City, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Mudbound," is now working on the other side of the camera, producing a drama set in the 1980s for USA Networks.

Titled "Philly Reign," the project is inspired by real-life drug queen Thelma Wright and based on her memoir, "With Eyes from Both Sides: Living My Life In and Out of the Game."

Blige will also portray the lead in "Power Book II: Ghost," the upcoming spin-off of Starz's hit series "Power."