In 1997, at age 14, LeAnn Rimes became the youngest person ever to win a Grammy.
Her career skyrocketed and she quickly rose to be one of the most popular country singers
of all time.
Considering her early fame, one would think Rimes' star power would linger for years,
but that wasn't the case.
Here's what happened to Rimes' once-bustling career and high-profile lifestyle.
Real Housewife drama
Rimes and actor Eddie Cibrian met as co-stars on the 2009 TV movie Northern Lights.
"We've been shooting now for about a week, and she's fantastic."
"We've become really good friends.
He's a very sweet guy.
And um, he's my pool partner actually, off of set.
We've been playing a lot of pool."
But a real-life romance reportedly bloomed while they were both married to other people.
Cibrian's other half, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville, is
currently still struggling with the situation.
For Halloween, in 2017, Glanville dressed up as Rimes for a "Scandalous Celeb Couples"
party theme.
As for Rimes, she's been keeping a low profile through it all.
And considering Glanville's volatile behavior, as they say, silence is golden.
Dirty laundry
Rimes' 2009 divorce from her husband of seven years, backup dancer-turned-chef Dean Sheremet,
was explosive.
"Keeping a low profile is almost impossible when you have paparazzi sitting right outside
of your gate."
Sheremet was supposedly blindsided by Rimes' affair with Cibrian and discovered that something
was amiss in his marriage while Northern Lights was filming.
He told Nat's Next Adventure,
"There was this bar that everyone hung out at [...] and I remember coming down the stairs
and seeing [Rimes and Cibrian] shooting pool together.
I could just tell by the body language that everything had changed."
That account was not only embarrassing for Rimes, it also earned her negative attention
from both the press and her fans.
"No one can quite understand why you hurt so badly.
But, I'm not gonna cry."
Considering Rimes' affair took a toll on every aspect of her life, it's no shock that she
retreated from the spotlight.
Netflix and chilling
Since Rimes and Cibrian got hitched in April 2011, Rimes has shifted focus from her music
career, to being a wife and step-mom.
"I think I'm a really good wife, I'm a really good friend, I sing… that's like the least
of things that I think people that know me think about me."
She told People,
"We respect each other; respect is a big deal, and once you lose that, you've kind of lost
everything.
He's a wonderful father and a really good man.
He's kind to me, and I reciprocate."
Rimes reportedly keeps the spark alive by planning romantic vacations to gorgeous locations
across the globe.
In January 2018, the couple jetted to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Reality show bomb
When Rimes' VH1 reality show with Cibrian, LeAnn & Eddie, was cancelled in June 2015
after just one season, the news hit her hard.
What made things even more difficult was that the show was intended to rehab the couple's
post-affair image.
Rimes told Hollywood Life,
"We had this idea of poking fun at almost everything.
[...] The situation is not laughable, but at the same time, everything that has been
written about the situation is hysterical."
"It's more of a comedy than anything."
"You have to be able to laugh at yourself and take the p--- out of yourself."
But audiences weren't feeling it.
According to Deadline the show premiered to a mere 374,000 viewers.
Rimes has not appeared in a major television project since.
Kids first
There's no denying that Rimes adores her stepsons, Jake and Mason.
And that may be why she's doing less "Tinseltown," and more "stay-at-home-mom."
She told Refinery29,
"It's been really rewarding to see them grow up, and know that I have a part in that.
[...] They bring so much joy to my life, and it's a new experience every day."
In April 2017, Rimes wrote a touching wedding anniversary tribute to Cibrian in which she
described herself as Jake and Mason's "co-soul protector."
Letting go of her ego
In February 2017, Rimes gave an emotional interview about what she has "let go" of in
life, to achieve a sense of well-being.
She told Billboard,
"Well, my ego.
That is something I've gratefully let go of.
I started in the industry so young.
I look back and I don't even know how I am alive at this moment."
Long gone are Rimes' days of selling out arenas and touring around the world.
And she says her new perspective has helped her artistically, telling the mag,
"Once it wasn't about my ego anymore, I became human.
To be able to create from that place is incredible."
She's blogging it out
Launching a blog can be a big undertaking, and that's a lesson Rimes learned when she
launched her website, Soul Of EverLe, in May 2017.
According to a statement, the site aims to, quote, "awaken and heal the spirit through
connection, community, joy and Love."
Rimes told Refinery29,
"I didn't realize how much work a blog is.
But it's so fun to be creative in a totally different way."
A different kind of music
In 2017, Rimes released her new studio album, Remnants, in the U.S.
She told Rolling Stone Country,
"What I hope people get out of it, is some sense of healing.
I'm not attacking anything; it's from a settled point of view.
And, yes, it is vulnerable.
I'm scared to death."
No doubt the project touched some listeners, but by the numbers, it hasn't measured up
to her past releases.
Perhaps she's swept up the remnants of her music career and packed them away for now.
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