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Jana Kramer: Why a Fan Said ‘You Saved Me’

Jana Kramer has no regrets about sharing her past experience with domestic violence during her stint on Dancing With the Stars. The country singer, 32, opened up about the positive feedback she’s received to Us Weekly on Monday, October 24.

“I was playing a show two weeks ago and this girl gave me her phone and written in the notes section she’d written, ‘You saved me.’ And right away my eyes just started welling up. And she’s like, ‘Seriously, thank you, you saved me,'” Kramer told Us. “I had to stop singing the song.”

Related: PHOTOS: Most Disastrous 'Dancing With the Stars' Partners Ever!

“I wanted to help people, and the fact that people are talking about it and spreading awareness means that it’ll only help more people,” she added. “[DWTS has been] very therapeutic. I’ve gotten a lot of confidence and I’ve realized my strength through all this, and what I have to give.”

Jana Kramer
Jana Kramer at the fourth ACM Party for a Cause Festival in 2016. John Shearer/Getty Images

As previously reported, Kramer’s ex-husband Michael Gambino physically abused her. (The two annulled their brief marriage in 2004.) He went to prison for five years for premeditated attempted murder and was released on parole in 2010. He committed suicide in 2012.

Related: PHOTOS: Stars Gone Country!

In addition to DWTS, the One Tree Hill actress opened up about the difficult time during an emotional Good Morning America interview. On October 17, she also took to Instagram to raise awareness for domestic violence victims by painting her ring finger with purple nail polish.

“1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and more than 3 million children witness it at home in the U.S. I am a survivor, myself,” she captioned the pic at the time. “As a mother, I think of my own daughter — I want my daughter to know that no man should ever put their hands on her.” (Kramer and her estranged husband, Michael Caussin, share 8-month-old daughter Jolie.)

Related: PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 23 Cast: See the Celebs and Their Partners in Costume!

The same goes for other women. When asked what she would tell her peers, she told Us: “Be strong, know your worth, know you’re beautiful and don’t settle for anything less.”

Watch Kramer in the videos above.

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