Mary J. Blige filed for divorce because her husband didn't "respect" her.
Mary J Blige
The 'No More Drama' hitmaker split from Martin 'Kendu' Isaacs in July after 12 years of marriage and she admitted she needed to end the relationship in order to "save" herself.
She said: "The breaking point was when I kept asking over and over and over again for respect and to be respected.
"If I can't get respect in the relationship, then I have to move on to save myself.
"No one wants to go through this. This is hard. I'm hanging in there. I have to stay strong and I have to be the strength for myself. I had to save myself and I'm saving myself now."
The 45-year-old singer is thankful for all the support she has received in the wake of the split.
Speaking on 'Good Morning America', she said: "What is getting me through is God, is prayer, is my family, my fans.
"Just getting that self awareness and putting myself in a place that I can see clearly."
And, amid claims Kendu has requested $130,000-a-month in spousal support, Mary has urged others in her position to "take responsibility" for their own affairs.
She said: "My message to those women that are going through the same thing is you cannot rely on people to handle your business.
"You have to handle your business. You have to take responsibility and stay on top of it, because things like this will happen if you don't."
The 'Family Affair' singer recently admitted she is finding going through her divorce "hard".
She said: "I'm in the thick of it. I'm in the middle of a divorce. It's just how hard life is. It's the pain. Not even knowing someone that you thought you knew for years is horrible."
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