Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert's shocking announcement that they would be divorcing after four years of marriage rocked the country music world and its fans. However, ahead of Monday's (July 20) announcement, those who are close to the couple admit that the break up has been a long time coming. According to new reports, Shelton and Lambert have been living "separate lives" for some time now but had only just gotten the courage to pull the plug on their relationship for good.
Though rumors of infidelity have plagued both Shelton and Lambert in the wake of their split (with fellow country crooner Chris Young denying an affair with the former Mrs.), an "insider" told E! Online that the split was more mutual and that it had been a long time coming.
"Miranda and Blake have known this divorce been coming for some time now," the source said. "They had not been together for a while and were living separate lives. They were just trying to find the right time to break the news to the public."
The reasons for the split from this insider remain vague, but it seems simply that the two former lovebirds had become different people. "[They have] been having issues on both sides for years now, but in the past few months it had come to a head. Blake and Miranda just grew apart and really started not seeing eye-to-eye on some real life future plans with each other."
The source also cites busy touring schedules and little time together as a reason for the divorce.
For their part, neither Shelton nor Lambert have given a reason for the divorce. On Monday, the two sent out a statement, saying ""This is not the future we envisioned and it is with heavy heart that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real family, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter."
