Brantley Gilbert opened up about why is wife was nearly the “one that got away,” but now, they’re “inseparable.”
Gilbert and his wife, Amber Cochran Gilbert, got married in June 2015. They share son Barrett Hardy-Clay, 6, and daughter Braylen Hendrix, 5. The country star announced on Mother’s Day earlier this year that his wife is pregnant with Baby No. 3.
“We had some history,” Gilbert said during a conversation on God’s Country, hosted by brother duo Dan and Reid Isbell. The latest episode premiered on Tuesday (October 1). Gilbert said he met his wife while he was working community service hours at a church, where Amber and her family attended. “I remember the day she walked in and seeing her for the first time and just being blown away. It was one of those things where I didn't know if it was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna marry her. That's the one,' but knew it was something. Very soon after that, I knew I wanted to marry her. Our daughter, Braylen — we came up with her name back then.”
Gilbert opened up about going down a “self-destructive” path, and because of his drinking, he and Amber parted ways and went seven years without speaking to one another. However, after he got sober, Gilbert’s cousin, a youth pastor, said Amber was “going through some things,” and “if you wouldn’t mind saying hello…she’ll be around the house all week.” Gilbert said when he saw Amber again, “we really didn't say anything. I just opened my arms and she kind of just fell in and I kissed her on the forehead and said, 'I got you.’” Ever since then, Gilbert says they’ve been “inseparable.”
Dan and Reid — who have written music for Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and others — started their weekly podcast this year. Guests appearing on the show so far include HARDY, Dustin Lynch, Colbie Caillat and others.
“One of our favorite things about country music has always been how intertwined it is with the outdoors,” Dan and Reid Isbell said in a statement when God’s Country launched. They hope to “bring the outdoor enthusiast or country music lover an up close and personal look into the minds of some of the best songwriters and artists of the genre — a place where they can be honest about struggles, relationships, their connection to the outdoors, the music business, family, whatever they feel comfortable talking about. We can’t wait to see where this partnership will lead and who this podcast will reach.”
The iHeartPodcasts/MeatEater show is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including in the iHeartRadio app. Select country stations will broadcast the show between 7-11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday evenings. Find God's Country here.