When Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert announced their divorce Monday, the news genuinely rattled country music fans. The relationship was one that fans were privy to from the get-go, from that very first smoldering performance together of “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” on CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets, a public display of affection that seemingly caught both artists by surprise — especially Shelton, who was married at the time. Still, the attraction between the Texas spitfire and the quick-witted Oklahoman was palpable, and when Shelton filed for divorce from his first wife in 2006, he and Lambert began their courtship in earnest. With such crossover fame, however, came the microscope of the tabloids. Seemingly every other week, another headline would appear alleging infidelity or, at least, love on the rocks. Surely, such constant scrutiny was difficult to bear, but the couple’s defiance and commitment to soldiering on, which makes this week’s dissolution of their marriage so tragic.
