Miranda Lambert felt the "reward" of marrying Brendan McLoughlin just three months after they first met was worth the "risk".
The 40-year-old singer tied the knot with the former NYPD officer in 2019 following a whirlwind romance and she knew she needed to put her heart on the line without worrying about potential "pain" if she wanted to find "big love".
Miranda - who was married to Blake Shelton from 2011 to 2015 - told Us Weekly magazine: "I kind of went for it; no risk, no reward. I grew up in a family of first responders with cops and firemen. That gave me trust to begin with.
"Texas people are very much who they are, like, 'Y’all come on in, but if you don’t like us, we really don’t care.' That New York mentality is the same, except they’re not as sweet about it.
"I just felt like the worst that could happen, I’ve lived through. If it ends, it ends.
"If you don’t put your heart out there, are you ever going to get the big love that everybody wants, that all the songs are about, that all the movies are about? I’m guarded in a lot of ways, but when it comes to my heart, I’m like, what do you really have to lose? Pain is pain, but it passes."
The 'Settling Down' singer appreciates the fact Brendan isn't a part of the music industry because he isn't afraid to be honest with her.
She said: "He calls me out, and I love that. I need that. I don’t think it’s healthy that people, especially artists or celebrities, surround themself with yes people.
"If you surround yourself with a group of people who are honest with you, you’ll go a lot farther, and it’s a lot healthier in the long run."
The 'Wranglers' singer admitted love isn't always easy but she's happy to work at her marriage.
She said: "I guess the thing I’ve learned the most is just that communication is everything. Love doesn’t always cut it. You’ve got to talk about s***.
"And you have to compromise sometimes and be willing to listen to each other when you have something important to say.
"Love is hard some days, but the reward is so worth it."
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