KELLY CLARKSON: A REVENGE BODY AND A FRESH START!

KELLY CLARKSON desperately needed a change of scenery. So in early fall, she and her two kids (River, 9, and 7-year-old Remington, who she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock) made the cross-country move from Los Angeles to New York City, where the singer is now taping the fifth season of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“I’m in such a great place, not only with my kids but with me personally and with the show,” Kelly recently said. “I feel like a weight has lifted.”

It has — literally. Over the course of the past five months, the “Since U Been Gone” singer has shed 40 pounds and is looking and feeling better than ever. “Kelly began her weight-loss journey at the very start of summer and one of her big goals was to debut her new body in her new studio in NYC,” a source tells Star. The 41-year-old has been open about her long, painful — and pricey — divorce from Brandon (she and her former manager, 46, split in 2020 following nearly seven years of marriage; the divorce wasn’t finalized until 2022). “I’d never experienced grief like that before,” Kelly said in June. Now she’s finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. “She’s found closure,” says the source. “This is the ultimate fresh start for Kelly.”

BIG CHANGES

In order to get into better shape, Kelly adopted a healthier lifestyle — one that’s been easier for her to maintain in the Big Apple. Indeed, the former Voice coach was adamant her new digs were near activity-friendly Central Park. “I was like, ‘I’m not living here unless it’s right by the park and really nice for the kids,” she told USA Today. Now, instead of driving everywhere like she did in L.A., she’s walking around the city. Says the source, “She’s been getting her steps in and spending lots of time in the park with River and Remington. (She recently told Andy Cohen her kids also love taking the subway.) “It’s a much more active way of life for her. She feels like a new person.”