Jana Kramer Enjoys A Night Out With Friends After Explaining Why She Only Recently Talked About Her Abuse

“Dancing With the Stars” alum Jana Kramer recently hung out with her girlfriends after explaining why she decided to stay silent about her ex-husband’s abuse.

On her Instagram account, the award-winning country singer shared a photo of herself with her girls. She specifically thanked Jennifer Denmark for getting all of them together. Kramer, who competed in Season 23 of “DWTS,” revealed that their night was filled with tears, laughter and glasses of red wine.

Read: Jana Kramer pens sweet Father’s Day tribut to ex-husband Mike Caussin

Over the weekend, Kramer spoke with People to explain why she decided to keep her ex-husband Michael Gambino’s abuse to herself for several years. “I was afraid to tell my story. There were about 10 years that I didn’t speak about it because I was afraid people would judge me, or they would try to turn it around. That’s how a lot of women are in abusive relationships feel – that it’s their fault,” she said.

Kramer, 33, added that ever since she came forward with her abuse story, she has inspired more people to share their troubling experiences with her as well. “There were so many women who’ve said, ‘Thank you for coming out and talking about your story, you’re a survivor’ and they share their stories. Which, some people say, ‘This is my first time sharing,’ or ‘You’re giving a voice to something that shouldn’t be held inside, because that’s not going to help you grow in the future,’” she said.

In 2016, Kramer appeared in “Good Morning America” (via the Daily Mail), where she opened up about the time she learned that Gambino committed suicide. The Hallmark actress added that Gambino decided to take his own life seven years after he tried to murder her. “I remember getting the call that he committed suicide and I felt bad because my first feeling was relief that he was gone. I didn’t have to worry about him anymore,” she said.

According to Kramer, Gambino’s abuse started verbally. But it came to a point where he would grab her by her arms and leave bruises all over her body. “He was manipulating me to feel like it was my fault,” she said last year.