Kardashian Admits Fear of Being 'Runaway Bride' Drove 72-Day Marriage

Kim Kardashian has identified the specific fear that kept her at the altar for a marriage that lasted only 72 days. In a new book, the media figure detailed how the pressure of public perception outweighed her internal doubts about marrying NBA star Kris Humphries in 2011.

Kardashian stated in the book, "Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future," that she believed the union was a mistake from the start. She told author Jonathan Van Meter that her soul knew it was wrong, but she proceeded because of a concern over how the event would be received by audiences and the camera crews present.

She explained the logic behind her decision in a quote shared by Us Weekly. "I just thought, 'Well, it’s cold feet,'" she said. "But your gut, your soul, is always right.. And then I thought, 'Well, they’re filming for a show, and if I bail now, they’re going to call me the runaway bride and it will be an even bigger thing.'"

The wedding was a central focus of the reality series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Kardashian later filed for divorce in October 2011, weeks after the August 2011 ceremony. She has since grouped this marriage with her viral sex tape as one of the biggest regrets of her life.

Kris Jenner, Kardashian's mother, provided a separate account of the final hours before the ceremony. In an interview for the book, Jenner said she went to her daughter during the rehearsal in Montecito to offer a way out. "I can just.. I feel like.. you’re not making the right decision," Jenner recalled saying to Kardashian, who was in a house with windows open as Robin Thicke rehearsed songs on the dance floor.

Jenner stated she offered to help manage the aftermath if Kardashian wanted to cancel. The former couple had begun dating in October 2010. Farnaz Farjam, a producer on the family's reality show, noted that Kardashian lacked the confidence to back out at that stage of her career.

Farjam told Van Meter that the younger Kardashian was a "hopeless romantic" who wore her emotions openly. "She liked being sexy and having all that attention, but she wasn’t confident," Farjam said. The producer added that the family had to endure hardships to build that resilience.

Humphries sought an annulment after the divorce filing, alleging the marriage was fraudulent and a publicity stunt. Kardashian denied the claim. The former couple's legal battle prompted Kardashian to seek advice from her late grandmother, Mary Jo "MJ" Shannon, who shared her own experience with a short-lived marriage. Kardashian said her grandmother told her, "You have to be happy. You have to be."