Country music singer-songwriter Brantley Gilbert and wife Amber Cochran tied the knot in 2015, but their love story took over a decade in the works. And it wasn’t the magical introduction or a smooth-sailing relationship that many would think seeing them now as a very happy couple. Their relationship actually had so many ups and downs, and Amber nearly became Brantley’s ‘the one who got away.’ Thankfully, they weathered every storm that came their way.
Now, the couple is happily in love and sharing every moment they can with their two lovely children. So, let’s take a look back at how everything started – from how they met to all their struggles and finally to their happy ending.
The Decade-Long Love Story: From Storms to Clear Blue Skies
Brantley Gilbert and Amber Cochran both grew up in the same small Georgia community and first met in 2003 in a church youth group. At that time, Gilbert had been fulfilling his community service in the church as he was a troublemaker who had problems with alcohol and substance addiction. The two easily got talking and became friends. And then they started dating.
Gilbert and Cochran attended rival high schools for football. And it was the most heated rivalry in the State of Georgia to the point that they were not supposed to date across the river (their schools were three or four miles from each other and separated by a river). They had some kind of Romeo and Juliet love story back then that they had to live in Maysville, a place between the two and was considered a neutral territory.
But the two had a very turbulent on-and-off relationship primarily because of Gilbert’s addictions. Cochran’s mom warned her to stay away from Gilbert as he seemed to have a knack of always getting into trouble. So after five years together, even though Cochran loved him very much, she broke up with him. As for Gilbert, he really wanted to change for the better for Cochran, but he revealed that he wasn’t able to do it even for himself.
But a few years after going their separate ways in 2008, Gilbert was hospitalized due to pancreatitis, and he was told that if he didn’t change, he may not live to celebrate his next birthday. He took his final drink on December 28, 2011 and has been sober since. Then he dated fellow country singer Jana Kramer. By 2013, they got engaged and started living together, but they called off their engagement after seven months.
And after that, Gilbert and Cochran found themselves reconnecting and rekindling their relationship. At the time, Gilbert was already three years sober. And he also admitted that there wasn’t a time that he didn’t think of her. There was always a piece of her in his songs, even when they weren’t together.
Interestingly, Gilbert also took a step to make sure Cochran never forgot about him. He actually built a large house which she could always see from the road whenever she would come home from college or went to her mom’s house. It was definitely hard not to miss, so it really lived up to its purpose.
They got engaged in the fall of 2014, but there were rumors flying around that Cochran allegedly cheated on her then-husband, Brock Roland. The couple married in 2012 and were living happily until Gilbert came back into the picture. Cochran filed for divorce in March 2014, citing mental and physical abuse to which Roland countered with adultery. Their divorce was settled in October of the same year.
And on June 28, 2015, they finally tied the knot in their hometown in Jefferson, Georgia.
For You
Who is Brantley Gilbert’s wife, Amber Cochran?
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the girl who inspired a lot of Brantley Gilbert songs like “More Than Miles” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.”
There is not much information about her until now, but we do know that she celebrates her birthday every March 29. She was born in Jefferson, Georgia and attended high school at Commerce High School. She then pursued a Middle-Grade Education degree at the University of Georgia. After that, she earned a Masters Degree in Family Counseling at Liberty University.
Amber Cochran is a school teacher, although she took a break after having kids. But she hopes to come back after they’ve grown enough. In 2018, she also launched her youtube channel where she features Everyday Amber and Amberseats. Here she shares her cooking recipes which everyone can enjoy.
Meet Brantley Gilbert’s Children: Barrett-Hardy Clay and Braylen Hendrix
Gilbert and Cochran faced fertility issues that specialists even told them it would be close to a miracle if they had a kid without in-vitro fertilization (IVF). But they had their surprise of a lifetime when they learned that Amber was pregnant in early 2017.
Then on November 11, 2017, the couple finally welcomed their son Barrett Hardy-Clay. And after two years, they were blessed again with another child.
The couple announced in March 2019 that they were having their second child. After a gender reveal party, they found that it was a girl, much to Gilbert’s surprise as he totally expected a boy.
They welcomed Braylen Hendrix on September 9, 2019.
Brantley Gilbert and wife Amber Cochran are now happily living their life with Barrett, who is turning 4 this year, and Braylen, who is turning two.
