Mary J. Blige divorced Martin Isaacs after 12 years of marriage. Now the artist admits the experience has been tough as she claims he isn’t the person she once knew.

Speaking on the television show Loose Women, Mary J. revealed: “I’m in the thick of it. I’m in the middle of a divorce. It’s just how hard life is. It’s the pain. Not even knowing someone that you thought you knew for years is horrible.”

Despite her pain, the No More Drama hitmaker tries to stay positive in order to survive the breakup.

She continued: “But there’s hope in it as well, because I have to keep the joy so I can live and survive. I can’t just die in all this sadness. In spite of my pain and crying and releasing everything on stage to my fans, I kept my joy and that’s what keeps me going. Life is real.”

And although she previously battled drug addiction and survived an abusive relationship in 1994, Mary J. insists she would have never let things go too far, as was the case with Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.

“I wouldn’t [change my past] because I wouldn’t be this strong person. It’s through trials and hard times that make us stronger that show us how to keep our joy and show us what we’re made of. You find yourself. Am i a wimp? Or am I a strong woman? I’m a strong woman.”

She went on to encourage others to always “choose life,” as it’s all “a product of staying positive” throughout.

She continued: “I feel great and I feel like it is very, very hard period [to overcome alcoholism], because I know because I was there. You have to choose life, I chose life. I can’t speak for them [Amy and Whitney] because I don’t know how strong or how weak they were, I just know they were beautiful to me. But, when you actually see death, you choose life.

It’s a product of staying positive. It’s not just about looking fine, it’s about my mental being, my mental, my physical, my spiritual, just everything being together.”