Usher Opens Up About Divorce Heartbreak

(WENN) - Singer Usher has opened up about his failed marriage and custody battle, admitting he fears he will never be friends with his ex-wife again.

The R&B superstar and his former partner Tameka Foster were embroiled in a fight over their two sons for more than three years until August 24th, when a judge awarded Usher primary care of Usher V, four, and Naviyd, three.

He broke his silence about the dispute in an episode of Oprahs Next Chapter, which aired on Sunday, telling Oprah, "This will be the only time that Ive ever chosen to speak about it. Ive been a man of integrity throughout the entire process, which I hope my boys will understand. Thats the way to go. Thats the way to be."

In the candid chat, Usher shot down Fosters allegations that he was an absentee father, insisting the claim hurt him because his own father was out of his life for 25 years.

He adds, "(I was) absentee from the aspect of having to go and work, that probably would be her version or idea what absentee would be. But no, Im not an absentee father at all. I was born to do what Im doing as a dad. I realized that once I had a child. When I had them, thats when they became a priority. Having not had a father (myself) wasnt a reason not to be a good father."

The singer reveals he and Foster, who wed in July 2007, tried to save their marriage by seeing a counselor, but they couldnt resolve their issues and he filed for divorce in June 2009 - and they still dont get along.

He explains, "We dont see eye-to-eye. The friend that I was to Tameka, I dont know that I could ever be again, because I really felt like we were friends. She made us enemies in a way that I could never understood. It wasnt until I was on the stand, where I cried, when I realized, Oh, this is an attack."

Usher will be performing at the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas September 21 and 22. Hear what he had to say about the festival:

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