Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has finally addressed the long-running rumours about her marriage, and she isn’t holding back.

Michelle stated that the world wouldn’t be guessing if she and former President Barack Obama were divorcing during her appearance on the May 1 episode of Steven Bartlett’s podcast, The Diary of a CEO.

“If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,” she said firmly. “My brother would know it. I’d be problem solving in public. I’m not a martyr.”

Craig Robinson, her brother and co-host of the In Michelle Obama (IMO) podcast, chimed in with humor: “I’d be doing a podcast with Barack Obama.”

The gossip is not brand-new. After Michelle missed Donald Trump’s second inauguration, rumours of a marital rift began to circulate, leading some to believe that her absence was a symptom of more serious domestic issues.

However, she corrected the record on the April 23 episode of IMO.

“People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” Michelle explained. “I’m here really trying to own my life… It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was ‘right’ but to do the thing that was right for me.”

She later explained to Bartlett that part of letting go of the burden to constantly be the model figure was missing the event.

“I think I just told myself, ‘I think I’ve done enough of that,’ and if I haven’t, then I never will. It’ll never be enough. So let me start now.”

Michelle explained that her relationship with Barack was based on complementing differences, notwithstanding the publicity.

“When I met Barack Obama, he showed up in my life as the opposite of a box checker… He did nothing by the book. He was brilliant and interesting.”

The Obamas have been wed since 1992 and have two children: Sasha, age 23, and Malia, age 26. Since leaving the White House, Michelle has taken charge of her story, one rumour at a time, by adopting an honest tone in both her podcast and her best-selling books.