Kelly Clarkson Reflects on Life’s Highs and Lows Amid Ratings Worries and Co-Parenting Challenges

Daytime dynamo Kelly Clarkson‘s sudden two-week break from her floundering talk show has friends and fans fearing she’s spiraling toward an emotional breakdown, say sources.

“Kelly’s carrying a lot on her shoulders — both in her personal and professional life — and people worry that she’s collapsing under the weight of it all!” confides an insider.

Clarkson finally returned March 20 from her mysterious hiatus in time for the show’s landmark 1,000th episode, but confessed that she’s had “a lot of ups and downs personally” and that “I’ve lost, alone, a lot.”

A friend exclusively tells GLOBE that Kelly, 42, is still reeling from her bitter divorce from producer Brandon Blackstock, 48, as well as fresh fears over her falling TV ratings.

Kelly racked up an impressive 1.9 million viewers in her show’s first season in 2019, but those numbers have slipped to just 1.2 million in the current sixth season.

Meanwhile, Kelly’s talk show rival Drew Barrymore has forged ahead with 1.5 million viewers, an alarming switch after Kelly regularly trounced Drew in viewership for years!

“Kelly has been renewed for another season, but she’s worried that if she doesn’t stem the tide, she’s going to get canceled,” dishes the friend.

In one sign of desperation, Kelly moved her show from Los Angeles to New York City in an apparent bid to breathe new life into it, but her ratings have continued to slide.

“Now, Kelly is second-guessing herself, wondering if launching a talk show may have been a mistake all along,” continues the friend. “She already had a huge career as a singer, but she pretty much gave that up to concentrate on the show.

“She hasn’t done a concert in years, and who knows if she can ever get that part of her career back to where it once was!”

Meanwhile, sources say that the challenges of raising her daughter, River, 10, and son, Remy, 8, as a single mom in a new city while still battling Brandon may have gotten to be too much.

“She feels like the situation is hopeless since she’s saddled with Brandon in her life at least until the kids are grown,” babbles the buddy.

“Kelly took time off to try to get her head straight, but the things that were causing her pain and anxiety haven’t gone away. She’s really stressed out and people close to her fear she could be heading for a serious breakdown!”