Pixabay A DWTS alum opened up about abusive relationship.
A “Dancing With the Stars” alum has opened up about a past abusive relationship in an effort to raise awareness for domestic violence awareness month.
Jana Kramer, who competed on season 23 of the dance competition show, shared a post on her Instagram feed in which she got extremely candid about a past relationship. Kramer shared a photo of her and her mom and said that the picture is very deceiving because, even though she was smiling and appeared happy, she was actually in an abusive relationship with a man who threatened to kill her.
“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. I see 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,” her caption read in part.
Here’s what you need to know:
Kramer Was 19-Years-Old When She Married a Man Who Was 17 Years Older Than Her
In a video that she included in her post, Kramer revealed that she met a guy who was 17 years older than her. Their relationship seemed wonderful in the beginning, but things began to change over the course of their time together.
The then-19-year-old Kramer admitted that she actually married the guy, which made her feel “trapped” in the relationship.
“I was so full of shame. I was made to feel like I had no one, and no one would believe me and that the reason I would be choked or hit was because I was bad. 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 wrote.
In May 2015, Kramer married Mike Caussin. Over the course of their marriage, Caussin had several affairs and even sought treatment for sex addiction, according to Us Weekly. Although Kramer chose to stay in the relationship and she and Caussin agreed to work things out, infidelity continued to be a problem.
In April 2021, Kramer and Caussin decided to end their marriage. A source told E! News that Caussin “broke her trust yet again.” Kramer and Caussin are parents to two young children.
Kramer Hopes That Her Vulnerability Will Help Others
Kramer decided to share her story in hopes that it may resonate with others.
“One of the hardest rocks I threw into the stream when I was at on-site was the rock “I deserve abuse” because for so long that’s what I thought. I held onto that for years thinking that was true. That’s what I was made to believe. I speak out to help others and to hopefully help at least one person who is reading this to talk to someone,” her caption continued.
“YOU DO NOT DESERVE ABUSE. You do not deserve any form of abuse…physically, sexually, mentally, verbally, financial, emotionally abusive relationships etc. THAT IS ALL ABUSE. There are people who want to be there for you. That are there for you. Please don’t wait until you lose your breath. Your life, Your heart, your soul is meant to be here and is meant to be loved and cherished,” she added.
Kramer said that her abuser was put in jail — and it was then that she felt like she could break “free.”
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