Reba McEntire Says Marriage to Ex Husband Narvel Blackstock Was ‘All Business’

Reba McEntire and ex-husband Narvel Blackstock have been separated for over a decade, and on Friday, March 1, she spoke openly about their relationship.

In an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, McEntire, 68, described their marriage as “a situation that was always business.”

"I think it works for some people. They can be married or have a relationship and work together. Our work was all the time," she said. "Our marriage was 26 years. We started out working together in the band. He was part of the band, and then became my manager, later on then my husband, but it was a situation that was always business — whether we were getting ready in the morning, pillow talk, whatever, but it was business."

That all-business relationship even extended to vacation, McEntire said.

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"Even when we were on vacation to recharge the batteries, about three days into a vacation it was like, 'You know what we can do?'" she recalled.

McEntire and Blackstock, 67, married in 1989 and split in 2015, with Blackstock walking away with a whopping $47.5 million. McEntire and Blackstock share one son, Shelby. Narvel also has three children from a previous marriage, including Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. McEntire maintains a relationship with all three of her stepkids.

Even with the hefty settlement, McEntire and Narvel stress that their divorce was amicable.

A joint statement at the time of the divorce read, “Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other. They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so."

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McEntire also used her appearance on the show to talk about Shelby, who just celebrated his 34th birthday. Her son is a professional race car driver, and she shared her anxiety around watching him race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

"It just killed me when Shelby ran in Daytona,” she said. “He came around that corner and all I could see was my little baby's face in that helmet. I had to sit down, I almost passed out. But you gotta let them follow their dreams. Mama did.”

McEntire is currently dating actor Rex Linn. She told host Drew Barrymore that while the two had known each other for years before getting together, the night they finally did, she “was like a magnet” to him.

“We had talked and communicated throughout the years, had a mutual friend and we stayed in contact,” she said. “But for some reason, that night was just so special.”