Kelly Clarkson has said that she spanked her children, insisting that it "really helped" them.
In an unearthed radio interview, the Stronger singer confessed she found nothing wrong with disciplining her two kids with spanking.
She shares two children with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, daughter River Rose, eight, and son Remington Alexander, six.
The 40-year-old songstress says that spanking "really helped" her daughter River Rose in her younger years, preventing naughty behaviour after the warning.
Speaking on Atlanta Radio station 94.1 in 2018, she said: "I'm not above a spanking, which people aren't necessarily into. I don't mean hitting her hard, I just mean a spanking."
"My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life, and I feel fine about it, and I do that as well," she added in the now unearthed interview.
Clarkson admitted spanking was harder to do in public because of modern views.
She added: "That's a tricky thing, when you're out in public, because then people are like, they think that's wrong or something, but I find nothing wrong with a spanking."
Clarifying that she would never smack her children out of the blue, she explained: "I warn her. I'm like, 'Hi, I'm going to spank you on your bottom if you don't stop right now, this is ridiculous’.
"Honestly, it's really helped. She doesn't do that kind of stuff as often."
Given the interview took place in 2018, The Mirror has contacted Kelly's representatives for a comment.
In all American states it is still legal to spank your child, however, in England it's illegal for a carer to smack their own child unless it amounts to "reasonable punishment".
There is now a legal ban on smacking children in Scotland and Wales.
Kelly is known for being candid about parenting and admitted feeling 'mum guilt' in an interview with Redbook in 2016.
She said: "I have a lot of mum guilt. If you’re a mum, you want to be with your kid every day.
"You don’t want to miss a moment, you want her to need you and want you and not want somebody else.
"I’m not gonna BS you, that’s hard. There are days where I cry and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can handle all this!’ or get it all done.
"But at the end of the day, 99 percent of the time, it’s awesome and it’s worth it, and that’s what I say to myself."
She also revealed that her children had ‘brought fear into her life’, explaining: "That sounds horrible, I know, but before kids I was fearless.
"Now I go to bed and I have nightmares of someone just grabbing my little girl and running. It’s always about me not being able to protect my kids somehow."
