Katy Perry is clearly bummed post-split with John Mayer, but we're not sure crying about it to her ex Russell Brand is the best way to get over it.

“Katy reached out to him after she split with John, bemoaning her luck with men and Russell provided her with some much-needed reassurance," an insider told Radar Online. “He flattered her with compliments and just listened to her every word. Russell also used his wit to cheer Katy up."

“Russell may appear like a comic book character, but he’s got a wise head on his skinny shoulders."

This source appears to be a good tennis player, because they're great with backhands. Moving on.

“They were the best of friends when they were together," the tattletale said of Brand and Perry, "and despite the fact they are no longer married they've managed to stay civil to one another."

Apparently Brand was behind the divorce too, because the source added, "She’s very respectful of Russell’s reasons for their break-up and would never overstep the line by begging for him to come back. But she does, however, think that he was definitely the love of her life. It’s left a lot of people wondering if she thinks that she could have fought harder to save their marriage."

Brand may also have played an inadvertent role in Perry and Mayer's inevitable breakup.

“John and Katy together were like a volcano just about to go off,” the insider said. “Their relationship was incredibly volatile, stemming from the jealousy they both harbored deep inside ... Katy was unhappy that John constantly flirted with other girls and played up his heartbreaker image, even when she was standing next to him."

Red flag, girl. Run!

“But, Katy gave it back. She knew that she could push John’s buttons by comparing his flaws to what she saw was great in Russell, which he hated," the source added. “Katy and Russell still talk to one another, and that was another thing that irked John. He’s never been in a relationship where he wasn't the main focus all the time and it bothered him."

What we've learned: John Mayer may have hit on other girls in front of Katy Perry, who, instead of just leaving like any self-respecting woman would, compared him to her womanizing ex-husband -- whom she now regrets divorcing.

Love isn't necessarily dead. But logic definitely is.

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