Jana Kramer Opens Up About Escaping An 'Abusive' Ex: 'He Was Going To Kill Me'

Jana Kramer gave intimate details about an allegedly abusive relationship from her past to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The "I Got the Boy" singer took to Instagram Saturday to share a throwback photo from her teen years showing her sitting on her mom Noah Kramer's lap as the two smiled at the camera.

Kramer, 38, explained in the caption that the photo is "very hard" for her to look at because "what was under the smile is something that I still to this day have a hard time talking about."

"I don't remember the excuses that I told people when I flew home to escape my abuser about the cuts and scrapes on my shoulder and arms, or why my ribs were hurting. But when I look at this photo that's all I see," she wrote, while withholding the name of her alleged abuser.

According to the "Soccer Mom Madam" star, what she sees in the photo is a "broken girl who was weeks prior pinned to the ground while the man that 'loved' me was strangling me saying that he was going kill me."

Kramer said that during that relationship, she was "so full of shame" and was made to feel like no one would believe her if she tried to report the abuse and that it was her fault that she would be hit by her partner.

"That I was wrong and I deserved it. For years, I have held on to those beliefs, and one day soon I will speak more on the abuse that followed that one and the patterns that continued, but to be honest, it's been a journey and one I'm still trying to walk through knowing that wasn't the last abusive relationship," she alleged.

Although Kramer didn't name her alleged abuser, she previously opened up about accusing her little-known first husband, Michael Gambino, of physical and emotional abuse. The former couple tied the knot in early 2004 after two weeks of dating, according to People.

During her 2017 speech at Safe Horizon's 22nd Annual Champion Awards, which she shared clips of in her Instagram post Saturday, the "One Tree Hill" alum recounted the abuse she suffered at the hands of a man she said she "married" and how it affected her professionally and personally.

In the clips, Kramer said she was only 19 when she met her former husband, who was 17 years her senior. She described him as "charming" and said their relationship was amazing at the beginning.

After they got married, however, she said that he began abusing her, starting with "little comments here and there," followed by "more verbal abuse."

"And then it started with a push or a shove. And then it became a choke," she said in her speech, before adding, "Once my abuser was in jail, I was finally able to be set free."

Kramer and Gambino divorced less than a year after tying the knot. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to six years in prison in 2005.

After serving five years in prison, Gambino was released on parole in 2010. Kramer said she lived in fear until he died by suicide in 2012.

In her Instagram post, Kramer said she spoke out in the hopes of being able to help someone who may be going through similar experiences.

"YOU DO NOT DESERVE ABUSE," she wrote. "You do not deserve any form of abuse...physically, sexually, mentally, verbally, financially, emotionally abusive relationships etc. THAT IS ALL ABUSE."

She reminded her followers that "there are people who want to be there for you" and encouraged those who are suffering abuse to not "wait until you lose your breath."

"Your life, your heart [and] your soul are meant to be here and are meant to be loved and cherished," she wrote, before encouraging other victims to "please talk to someone."

Kramer was also previously married to Johnathon Schaech from 2010 to 2011 and Mike Caussin from 2015 to 2021. Her last public relationship was with Ian Schinelli, who later accused her of being manipulative following their split.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.