Watch: Jana Kramer Dedicates Dance To Daughter Jolie And Opens Up About Painful Past

Jana Kramer had an emotional Dancing with the Stars this week.

The theme this week was “most memorable year”and Kramer had a great reason to name 2016 as hers E! Online reports.

“This week, it’s most memorable year, and mine is 2016, because I had my baby girl. I feel like I’m the strongest I’ve been my entire life. She’s given me the strength I didn’t know I would have.”

Kramer danced to Martina McBride’s “In my Daughter’s Eyes” and dedicated it to 7-month-old Jolie. After the touching dance, the singer and actress ran over to her baby girl and hugged her in an emotional moment.

Kramer’s mom said Jana has always wanted to be a mom, so to see her with Jolie is so exciting and makes her so happy.

Motherhood did more than bring about a life-long dream for Kramer, she also credits her favorite role as something that saved her life.

“And I’ve been in bad situations where I’ve let people take that from me. Ten years ago, I was in an abusive relationship. It was the worst time of my life. He went to jail for attempted murder on me. It’s been a very heavy secret to hold for so many years. The situation ten years ago broke me. It took having Jolie to piece together every single broken part of me.”

“I was so ashamed. I literally walked around on eggshells, terrified to tell anybody, because I was so ashamed of the situation I had put myself in. I was like I put myself in this and now I have to figure out how to get out of it, or stay in it and make it better.”

Her ex-husband, Michael Gambino, was convicted of attempted murder and spent 6 years in prison. After his 2010 release, he committed suicide in 2012.

This article first appeared on Womanista.com