Kelly Clarkson kept her children front of mind while navigating her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock ‘s secret cancer battle, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly .

"Even though they went through an acrimonious divorce , Kelly made a conscious decision to protect Brandon's privacy until the very end for the sake of their family," the source explains.

"He'd been sick for a while, but his health really took a turn for the worse earlier this year. That's why she was MIA from her talk show," the source continues, referencing Clarkson's unexplained two-week absence from The Kelly Clarkson Show in late February and early March. "Out of respect, Kelly chose not to say anything publicly until it became clear this week that Brandon wasn't going to make it."

Us Weekly has rea

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