Influencer Kelley Lorraine on Her Year of ‘Growth’ After Divorce, from Solo Parenting to Dating Again (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Influencer Kelley Lorraine has had a blockbuster year: red carpets and thousands of views

• But behind the scenes, things haven’t always been so easy in the months after her divorce

• In an interview with PEOPLE, Lorraine opens up about her year of “growth” following her separation from her husband

By many accounts, influencer Kelley Lorraine has had a blockbuster year.

The 31-year-old influencer has traveled the world, attending red carpets for some of the biggest film releases. Her social media videos have continued to rake in hundreds of thousands of views. Even her ex-husband’s daughter Ana — for whom she is a mother figure — just booked her first lead acting role.

But behind the scenes, she tells PEOPLE in an interview, things haven’t always been so easy.

“It’s been rough,” she says, “but it’s also been really good.”

In August, Lorraine delivered shocking news for her more than 3 million TikTok followers: She and Luis Joel, her husband of seven years and the father of her two kids, were going their separate ways. Lorraine, who got married when she was 23, had to figure out who she was outside of her marriage.

“This year’s been a lot of growth and figuring out my interests,” she says. “I’m starting to explore things that I used to do when I was younger that I had a lot of love and passion for — stuff that I haven’t done in a while.” (Included on that list, she adds, is horseback riding.)

After their separation, Luis moved out of their Los Angeles home to relocate to Texas — and Lorraine entered a new chapter as a single mother.

“It’s been really hard,” admits Lorraine, who has full custody of her two young children. “It’s day in and day out. You’re sick, and you still have to show. I’ve definitely had a learning curve — I’ve had some hard months.”

But Ana, she continues, has been a “huge help.” Even though she is one of Joel’s kids from a previous relationship, she and Lorraine have always been extremely close — so it was a no-brainer that she would stay in L.A. with Lorraine, even after her dad moved to another state.

“It’s definitely transitioned away from a stepparent-stepchild relationship,” says Lorraine. “We’ve switched into more of a roommate-type situation.”

Adds the internet personality: “She has such a strong love for the girls and takes care of them.”

As Ana pursues a career in the entertainment world, Lorraine says, it’s been especially exciting to have the opportunity to bring her along to some of the high-profile industry events she’s gotten invited to over the last year.

“It’s really good for her. She gets to mix and mingle with people, and I think it’s a really good way for her to see what her future’s gonna look like.”

A year after filing for divorce, Lorraine has also started dipping her toes into the world of dating — teasing a new relationship to her millions of followers online. At first, she tells PEOPLE, it was “scary” to put herself out there.

“I haven’t dated in years,” she says. “Now there’s [dating apps] and all of these things. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ “

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There were a few trials and tribulations: She went on a date with one guy only to later learn that he already had a girlfriend. 

But Lorraine continues that she “got really lucky” with a guy that she’s been seeing for the last “few months.”

“We’ve been talking and things are going really well,” she adds.

And Ana — who, herself, has had a boyfriend for over a year — has also been a great support to lean on as Lorraine reenters the dating world. (The two pairs have even gone on a double date!)

“She calms my nerves,” she says of her step-daughter. “She met him, and she approves of him, so that’s very nice. And obviously if I go out on a date, she’ll watch the girls, which is really helpful, too.”

Read the original article on People