LeAnn Rimes Says She Was A ‘Target’ After Eddie Cibrian Affair

LeAnn Rimes is opening up about the intense backlash she and her now-husband, Eddie Cibrian, faced after their affair became public.

At the time, both were married to other people. Rimes suggested that she became a “target” for people who were already upset.

“I realized very quickly that there are a lot of women who’ve been hurt. Like, I’ve been on both sides of that coin — I’ve been cheated on, too, so I know that feeling,” Rimes said in a recently published interview with Flow Space.

“But so many women don’t know what to do with that anger… I was a target that was just easily projected upon. And once I realized that, things got a lot easier. Instead of taking it so personally, it’s like, look: This is not all my pain to carry,” Rimes continued.

“I know what I’m responsible for in the situation and making amends for that,” she explained. “But you know, the world’s pain is not mine to carry, and I think that really got thrown at me for a long time.”

Cibrian and Rimes met in 2008 while filming the Lifetime movie “Northern Lights.”

Rimes was married to her then-husband, Dean Sheremet, while Cibrian was married to “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reality star Brandi Glanville. Cibrian and Glanville share two sons: Mason, now 22, and Jake, 18.

Rimes and Cibrian tied the knot in 2011.

Over the years, the two have spoken about their affair along with the private ― and public ― criticism they’ve faced.

Given how the two started their relationship, Rimes has even publicly commented on the idea that Cibrian might one day be unfaithful to her.

“I would be ignorant to say, and everyone else would think I am a liar if I didn’t say yes, and I have at times,” Rimes said of wondering about potential infidelity, while chatting with ET back in 2013.

“Speaking for him, I would actually say that’s creeped into his [mind],” she shared at the time. “I think we’ve been very honest and open with that to each other, and our conversations about it have only made me understand how much he actually cares, as much as I do, about being faithful to each other.”