Sara Evans’ Marriage Counselor Set Her Up With Jay Barker

Sara Evans and her now-spouse, Jay Barker, really don’t have a standard fulfill-lovable story.

“Jay and I were being launched by a marriage counselor,” Evans, 53, discussed on an episode of Tori Spelling’s podcast “MisSpelling” on Tuesday, April 30. “He and his [then]-wife had been divided. [My ex-husband] Craig [Schelske] and I ended up heading by way of marriage counseling mainly because I didn’t think in divorce.”

Evans and Schelske, 60, were married from 1993 to 2007 and share son Avery, 24 and daughters Olivia, 21, and Audrey, 19. One particular 12 months right after her divorce was finalized, the nation singer tied the knot with Barker, 51. (Barker was formerly married to Amy DiGiovanna from 1995 to 2007 and the twosome share little ones Andrew, Braxton and twins Sarah Ashlee and Harrison.)

The “I Could Not Talk to For More” singer went on to share that Evans and Schelske attended the exact same relationship counseling as Barker and his ex-wife – and in the end the therapist, Joe, set Evans and Barker up inspite of normally wanting to hold partners together.

“Joe phone calls me and states ‘I’ve in no way carried out this in advance of since I have expended my everyday living striving to continue to keep marriages jointly, but I really don’t feel you should really remain with Craig for the reason that there is a lot of complications and I have an individual I want you to meet,’” Evans recalled to Spelling, 50, noting that at 1st she declined due to the fact she was not eager on marrying once again. Having said that, Joe was persistent. “He stated, ‘Listen, when your divorce is final, you’ll simply call me, we’ll satisfy and I’ll explain to you who the person is.’”

When Evans eventually identified out that the human being was Barker, a previous specialist soccer player, she decided to concept him.

“I put the children to bed a person night time, I was executing the dishes, I went into my office at house and I emailed Jay, went back again to the kitchen area and I heard the ding on my pc and I’m like ‘He’s been sitting down in this article waiting for me to e mail him,” she joked, including that soon after his original message the twosome just started off chatting “nonstop” and the twosome experienced a “very rapid courtship.”

Soon after their whirlwind romance, Evans finished up moving to Mountain Brook, Alabama to are living with Barker.

“We raised our families collectively,” Evans gushed, noting that Barker’s youngsters would invest just about every other week with them though her children were being there all the time because Schelske, who she admitted she in no way “truly loved,” just “hightailed it out of town” and has not noticed them considering the fact that 2014. “Thank God they experienced Jay. Jay stepped in and elevated them, took care of them,” she mentioned.

While Evans and Barker are fortunately in adore now, the twosome have been by way of their possess bumps in the street.

In August 2021, Evans filed for divorce from Barker, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” on Barker’s part.

Approximately five months right after the divorce was submitted, Barker was charged with felony aggravated assault with a lethal weapon. He was accused of making an attempt to hit a car Evans was riding in with his individual automobile. Barker afterwards entered a “best interest” plea to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and been given a person calendar year of probation.

Two several years subsequent his arrest, Evans shared that she and Barker “tiptoed back to just about every other” and reconciled.

“We’re so content now, but I really don’t want any person to assume that I’m advocating remaining in a partnership where you are ever, in your gut, you know that you need to have to exit the scenario,” she claimed on her “Diving in Deep” podcast in March. “Every girl wants to observe her intestine on that and do what is best for her. I believe that and I hope that I’ve accomplished that.”