After separating earlier this year, Hilary Duff and husband Mike Comrie remained close friends, but the actress and singer is finally admitting that the change in her relationship status hasn't been easy.
In an interview with Billboard's "Pop Shop" podcast, the 26-year-old former "Lizzie McGuire" actress confessed that she has been having a "very difficult" time following the split from the former-pro hockey player. Duff also admitted that her situation also inspired a song on her new album.
"I'm separated from my husband right now, which has been a very difficult thing to go through," she told Billboard's "Pop Shop" podcast. "In the beginning, the album was a lot heavier and a lot darker, because I had to get that out. Once I did get that out, a lot of fun came."
She added: "[There's a song] about my separation and my love for this person, that maybe we're not meant to be together, or maybe we are. It's very, very personal."
The former couple married in 2010 after dating for three years and have one son together, two-year-old Luca. They announced their separation in January, however still maintain a close relationship, including being photographed together at this year's Coachella.
In May, Duff talked about her relationship with E! News at the iHeart Radio Music Awards, saying, "I think we got to a point where we were like, we really need to honor happiness and whatever that is and however we need to sort that out or work that out, we're doing that. We love each other so much and we love spending time together. So when you see us out, it's not just for Luca, it's because we make plans and we hang out and we don't know what our future looks like right now, but we're both doing really good and just figuring out what makes us happy."
The singer is getting ready to release her first album in seven years and she also debuted her first single titled "Chasing the Sun," earlier this week. Duff told Billboard that she was "nervous" about getting back into the studio.
"I'm nervous," Duff admitted. "It's been seven years for me, so I hope that what I'm writing and what I'm singing and how I'm singing and my taste and the content, I hope it's what people that have been my fans or that are my fans are going to respond to...and I think they will."
