Kim Kardashian denied that her marriage to Kris Humphries was a hoax, saying she was left utterly depressed afterwards and her fanbase was strong enough without having to stage drama for ratings.
In a frank interview with Oprah Winfrey, the reality star opened up about the doomed romance.
She stressed that she still has a ‘place in my heart’ for her former basketball player beau, yet after moving in together it dawned on her that married life was ‘not for me’.
Scroll down for video
Spilling the beans: Kim looks taken aback with the grilling, but Oprah’s techniques are to approach like a friend
Speaking to the talk show host, Kim said: ‘I was in love, I wanted the life that I always pictured my fairytale life to be.
‘I would’ve had an extravagant wedding anyway, to end that relationship was a risk in itself to lose ratings and I had to take the risk to be honest to myself.’
Kim, who never mentioned Kris by name during the chat, claimed the pair had never spent enough time alone before their 72-day matrimony for her to recognise his negative traits.
Me and Oprah: Kim Kardashian and her family sat down with chat show queen Oprah for a revealing interview
She continued: ‘I think when people first meet, everything is great in the beginning, but I didn’t spend more than a whole week with my ex before we married.
‘When we moved in together, I saw how our relationship was… I don’t want to get into the small things, but once we moved in, I knew he was not the one.’
Opening up: Kim is usually rather coy, but was forthcoming when Oprah probed her about Kris Humphries
‘I was in a deep depression’: Kim says she nearly surrendered life in the spotlight after doomed marriage
‘But I said no, I got angry, I was thinking, “How dare you!”‘
Kim stressed that Kris did not do anything specifically wrong and denied that he hit her or lashed out.
Opening up: Kim opens up about her short-lived marriage to Kris Humphries
‘He’s a good person,’ she said. ‘I will always have a place in my heart for him. It just wasn’t for me.’
While Kim admitted she was ‘bored’ in the romance, she didn’t attribute it as the reason for leaving.
She said: ‘You know in your heart. Mum was supportive, so I took that time off afterwards… I would rather have been beaten up in the media than live a life that wasn’t happy.
‘I was in such a deep depression I thought I was going to back away from everything. I stayed at home for almost four months and I’m a better person now, as heartbreaking as it was to go through.’
Kim added: ‘For anyone I hurt, I’m truly sorry, I don’t wish pain on anyone, but the person I am because of that crazy experience, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
‘I loved him, obviously it hurt him, and it hurt me too. It was embarassing, I don’t want to call it a mistake, it was a lesson.’
Kim also claimed that her sex tape ‘introduced her to the world in a negative way’, so she was forced to ‘work ten times harder to get people to see the real me’.
The reality TV star wed the basketballer in a fairytale ceremony last August, but although their union broke down within three months.
Reflective: Speaking of her success, Kim said: ‘I don’t think it would’ve happened if we were all skinny models’
Kim is now dating rapper Kanye West, 35, and said one of the things that attracts her to him is the fact he is older than her.
She added: ‘I always dated five years younger. My whole thing was completely different, and now I just love that I’m with someone that’s a couple years older than me.’
During the interview, Kim, who is of Armenian descent, says she is proud to represent Middle Eastern women in modern society.
When asked if she thinks the Kardashian’s reality TV show would be as successful if they weren’t pretty, she replied: ‘I don’t think it would’ve happened if we were all skinny pretty models.
Krammed in: Oprah with the Kardashians and their spouses… the chat show host said she had to ‘Kardashian Kram’ ahead of the interview which will be screened Sunday
‘I think it has to do with us, the curves, the dark hair – I think it was a combination.
‘I remember when the wave of Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek and these beautiful Hispanic women came into light, and I looked up to them and I loved them, but I was like, “Where are Middle Eastern women?” I think we took that category or helped broaden that.’
New love: Kim says one of the things that attracts her to Kanye West is the fact he is older than her
Earlier this week Kim was quick to post a picture of herself alongside TV royalty in what is surely the ultimate seal of approval of their ubiquitous fame.
Clearly excited she tweeted: ‘Ummmm no big deal Oprah just left my mom’s house! #DreamComeTrue.’
Pregnant sister Kourtney also tweeted: ‘Surreal day being interviewed by the queen Oprah. Not many words to explain how incredible the experience was except for AHHH! Major moment.’
Oprah, 58, was apparently just as impressed with the reality TV family, whom she surprisingly said she knew very little about.
She later posted a picture of herself with the whole family as she sat down with them at ‘momager’ Kris Jenner’s home.
Kim was joined by sisters Kourtney, Khloe, brother Rob, Kourtney’s partner Scott Disick, Khloe’s husband Lamar Odom, mum Kris, half-sisters Kylie, Kendall and step-father Bruce Jenner to film the interview for Oprah’s Next Chapter, with part one airing tonight on OWN.
It is the first appearance for the reality TV queen and her infamous family, and Oprah admitted she had a lot of catching up to do in preparation.
She revealed on her Facebook page: ‘I had never met them, nor seen the show. I did a full on “Kardashian Kram” in preparation, watching major shows from every season.’
