LeAnn Rimes Reflects on the Anger She Faced Over Eddie Cibrian Affair

Now 42 years old, LeAnn Rimes has been in the spotlight for most of her life. The country singer won her first Grammy at the tender age of 14 for Best New Artist. While some child stars long to return to those days, Rimes isn’t one of them.

“I felt very alone in this world for a long time,” she admitted to Flow Space. “I don’t necessarily feel that way anymore… I don’t feel like I’m ever in hiding.”

Rimes spent her teens and twenties projecting the image of “America’s Sweetheart.” Eventually, various struggles made her realize that she had to open herself up to the world. One of these was the scorn she faced when she and Eddie Cibrian began their relationship. At the time, they were both married to others.

“Starting as a child star [I had] all this protection,” Rimes admitted. “But it was like, if I want to live a fulfilling life, I’ve got to learn how to let that guard down. To me, it was either I was going to die, or I had to confront it. It was complete survival.”

Nowadays, Rimes is comfortable in her skin and with who she is. She’s also had time to reflect on all the hate directed towards her in the past. Most importantly, she knows that it wasn’t personal.

LeAnn Rimes Realizes She Was an Easy Target: ‘Not All My Pain to Carry’

Looking back, the “How Do I Live” singer understands why her relationship with Cibrian caused such an uproar. She also knows now that it wasn’t her that people hated.

“I realized very quickly that there are a lot of women who’ve been hurt. Like, I’ve been on both sides of that coin—I’ve been cheated on, too, so I know that feeling,” she said. “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. Instead of taking it so personally, it’s like, look: This is not all my pain to carry.”

“I know what I’m responsible for in the situation and making amends for that,” she added, “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.”

LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian’s Ex-Wife Now Get Along Great

A true testament to how far LeAnn Rimes has come since that time in her life is her relationship with Brandi Glanville, Cibrian’s ex-wife. At one point, they were very hostile to each other, but that has thawed over time.

In 2021, Glanville sat down with the “Hollywood Raw” podcast. “The truth is LeAnn and I get along really well, we really do,” the former “Housewives” star told Dax Holt and Adam Glyn.

Glanville has even admitted that she spends most holidays with LeAnn, Eddie, and the kids. “I think we both [have] grown up quite a bit, and we both love Eddie’s parents,” she added. “We both love the kids.”