'Secretly Divorcing' Michelle Obama Breaks Silence on Why She Has Been MIA as Talk Grows She and Barack Are Quietly Negotiating 'Split Deal of the Century'

Michelle Obama has finally revealed why she has spent so much time out of the public eye, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The former first lady explained she stepped away from politics to raise her kids – something she may soon have to do alone if she and Barack divorce as rumors suggest.

Amid ongoing calls for her to run for president herself, the mother-of-two shot down any democratic hopes during an appearance on Kylie Kelce's Not Gonna Lie podcast, saying she simply is "not interested in politics."

Michelle, 61, confessed: "When people ask me, would I ever run (for office), the answer is no."

The author seemed to appear guilty as she tried to describe the "sacrifice" her kids were forced to make when they suddenly became first children.

"I was so glad when we got out of the White House" she admitted, noting that daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, were forced against their will to live their formative years in public.

Barack, 63, spent eight years in the White House, ending his second term in 2017.

Michelle revealed: "I wanted them to have the freedom of not having the eyes of the world on them. They still are dealing with paparazzi and being who they are and trying to carve out their own identity."

Carving out that identity could be complicated if their parents follow through on long-simmering divorce rumors.

RadarOnline.com recently revealed Barack and Michelle are quietly carving up their $70million empire and edging closer to confessing that their 32-year marriage is over.

Hard-nosed lawyers and mediators for the former Democratic Party power couple are attempting to come to terms and divvy up their dollars and assets before the estranged spouses come clean with the American people later this year, said sources.

"They want to have everything ironed out in advance," an insider with knowledge of the deliberations said. "The last thing they want is an ugly fight with lots of nasty legal filings."

Their sensational split set would be the first-ever post-White House divorce between a former president and first lady.

A political expert told us the pair's partnership had turned "venomous" following Republican Donald Trump's landslide victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential contest.

According to sources, Barack demanded his partner run for president after Joe Biden's abrupt exit from the Oval Office race in July.

But insiders the Harvard-trained lawyer turned Tinseltown producer instead turned down her hubby's ultimatum and chose to further pursue her Hollywood ambitions on the other side of the country.

A source added: "They'd already been living separate lives on opposite coasts for some time, but that was no longer an option after Michelle refused to run and Barack was forced to back Kamala.

"That was a total humiliation for him – especially since she lost."

Although Barack took to social media in January to wish his wife happy birthday in a lovey-dovey X post, sources said a public statement regarding their marriage's end will likely be Issued after the summer – as it will take months to sort out their intermingled mountain of holdings.

"They have homes in D.C., Martha's Vineyard and Chicago-plus a stock portfolio in excess of $25million," our insider added. "There are also substantial revenue streams from their various media projects to divide and manage going forward.

"It's far from easy to untangle a life of three decades with someone, but maintaining the illusion of a happy and stable marriage is no longer a solution. They both are of the mind that they will be better off on their own."