Jana Kramer Remembers Ex Husband Throwing Her 'onto the Ground' before 'Yelling and Hitting'

Before country music singer and actress Jana Kramer launched her music career, she went through hell. Her first husband, Michael Gambino, tried to take her life.

They say it is harder to heal from emotional wounds than physical ones, and the "I Got the Boy" singer Jana Kramer knows it firsthand as she is a domestic abuse survivor.

Her much older first husband, Michael Gambino, was so violent that he almost killed her. Kramer kept the abuse secret, but she has opened up to help others in her situation.

Jana Kramer at Safe Horizon's 22nd Annual Champion Awards in April 2017 | Photo: YouTube/Safe Horizon

NOT THE HUSBAND SHE EXPECTED

When Kramer was 19 years old, she went to a Coffee Bean in Los Angeles for what she thought would be an ordinary outing. Once there, she met Gambino, 17 years her senior.

At the time, the then-aspiring actress noticed he was a smooth-talker, charming, and intriguing man. His age was not a problem – she liked it as it made her feel protected.

The former couple dated for just two weeks before tying the knot in early 2004. Kramer thought she had found her Prince Charming, but it was quite the opposite.

Jana Kramer on May 5, 2018 in Austin, Texas | Photo: Getty Images

After a while, Gambino started showing his true self. He was easily angered and frequently jealous, and depending on the situation, Kramer had to sleep in her car or hide in the bushes until he calmed down.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant revealed that Gambino would come home to viciously hit and yell at her in the middle of the night. The following morning, he would act as if nothing had happened.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABUSE

Kramer also revealed that he would choke and threaten her regularly. At some point, she told him she wouldn't endure the abuse anymore, but he sent her a photo of her dogs on the freeway and threatened to let them go if she left him. She explained:

"He'd kick me out of the house, I'd sleep in the car and then that next morning I'd be with him in bed again."

Kramer didn't want her friends or family to know about the abuse, and she would cover her bruises with makeup. However, her emotional wounds were harder to hide as her self-confidence hit rock bottom when he was abusive.

The worst attack she suffered came on August 6, 2005, when Gambino left Kramer bleeding and unconscious on the gravel outside their house after choking her.

Three years after Gambino was sent to prison, Kramer met Jonathon Schaech.

She felt so bad that night that she prayed and asked God to take her away as she couldn't handle the situation anymore. Fortunately, Gambino faced justice for his wrongdoings.

Shortly after that incident, he was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Gambino was sentenced to six years behind bars but was released in 2010. Two years later, he died by suicide.

Kramer admitted that she initially was afraid and embarrassed to talk about her past as she thought nobody would love her because of it. However, she realized that talking about it could help other abused women.

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS

Three years after Gambino was sent to prison, Kramer met Jonathon Schaech on the set of "Prom Night." Schaech, 14 years older than the actress, had divorced Christina Applegate one year earlier.

In December 2009, he proposed, and she said yes. She also called the engagement the "best present ever." Schaech was just as excited about the marriage – he confessed that he couldn't wait to have a family with her.

They tied the knot on July 4, 2010, in Michigan, but only one month later, they announced their separation. It is unclear why they dissolved their marriage so quickly.

After her failed relationship with Schaech, Kramer fell in love with fellow country music singer Brantley Gilbert. They met at the CMT Music Awards in June 2012 and hit it off right away.

He popped the question only seven months later, on his 28th birthday. Unfortunately, they never married. In August 2013, she called off the engagement reportedly due to conflicting schedules.

[Caussin] had gotten into a rehabilitation center for sex addiction.

They were both on separate tours and had little time to spend with each other. Kramer once revealed that she and her then-fiancé would work even on the days they blocked out to be with each other.

One year later, Kramer made headlines again for accepting Michael Caussin's marriage proposal four months after they started dating.

The former football player asked her to marry him on her 31st birthday, and he gathered a small group of friends and family members to do so. She explained:

"It was a beautiful surprise. He was the perfect gentleman. Nervous, on one knee, and surrounded by some of the people that love us the most."

Caussin and Kramer tied the knot in Charlottesville, Virginia, on May 22, 2015. Initially, she wanted to keep it simple and say "I do" at a courthouse. However, Caussin wanted an actual wedding, and she loved the idea after finding the venue.

Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin on March 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Getty Images

DIVORCING CAUSSIN

Seven months after welcoming their first child, Jolie, Kramer and Caussin separated. They didn't share a reason at the time, but it was eventually reported that he had gotten into a rehabilitation center for sex addiction.

The former couple worked things out and even renewed their vows in December 2017. But in April 2021, Kramer filed for divorce, citing inappropriate marital conduct, irreconcilable differences, and adultery.

The singer requested joint custody of their two children (including two-year-old Jace) and asked Caussin to pay alimony and legal fees. For the divorce to proceed smoothly, both parties needed to follow some conditions.

Apart from not harassing or abusing each other or talking about the other in a "disparaging" way in front of their children, they cannot move their kids more than 50 miles away from their marital home without the court's permission.

Kramer also asked the judge to enforce her and Caussin's postnuptial agreement signed following their 2015 wedding. The divorce became final in July 2021.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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