The Truth About Kimberly Schlapman's Husband

Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman knows a thing or two about heartbreak. Her first husband, Steven Roads, died suddenly of a heart attack in 2005 at the age of 41, while Little Big Town was out on tour. It was a shock for the whole band, but especially for Schlapman, who had been married to Roads for six years. Roads was not only Schlapman's husband, but he was Little Big Town's attorney, according to The Boot.

The future of the band felt uncertain. Karen Fairchild told CBS News how concerned she was for Schlapman. "There was so much sorrow in her eyes. So I didn't think she would really sing," she said. "I kind of thought the band was over." However, Schlapman's friends were there for her after her tragic loss. They reached out to offer support, one friend more than the rest. And, eventually, things turned around.

"I wasn't planning on falling in love, at all. I didn't want to," Schlapman told The Boot. "I wasn't sure that I ever would. So, my husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died, all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. He was just an old friend. We had known each other for about six years, and he started calling me just like everybody else did. But he started calling me more than everybody else did."

Let's take a look at the man who helped Kimberly Schlapman through her grief.

When Stephen Schlapman started calling Kimberly Roads (as she went by back then), he was just her friend. Still, he had a deeper understanding of the grief she was experiencing. As Kimberly Schlapman explained to The Boot, "He hadn't lost a mate, but he had lost a close friend, so we kind of bonded over that. I had a lot of grief left, and he just took it and listened and accepted it and was so understanding and let me talk about my late husband all the time. We still talk about him a lot, and he's totally fine with it."

Stephen gave Kimberly much more than just a way through and past her grief. They married in 2006 and, even though Kimberly had struggled with fertility issues during her marriage to Roads, she got pregnant on their honeymoon. "It was just the most incredible gift," she told People. "I believe that my first husband, who was in heaven, I believe he begged God, 'Let's give her what she's always wanted for a wedding gift.' I believe that with all my heart, and so I got pregnant on my honeymoon. I know that was his wedding gift from heaven to me. I am 100 percent sure."

Their daughter Daisy was born in 2007. Kimberly and Stephen went on to adopt a baby girl they named Dolly in 2017. The addition to their family even inspired Kimberly to write the children's book "A Dolly for Christmas."

Kimberly Schlapman and Stephen Schlapman tried to conceive their second child the natural way but faced some major hurdles. In an attempt to give their oldest child the sibling they always wanted, Kimberly and Stephen successfully got pregnant, but it ended in a miscarriage. Artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization didn't work either. Eventually, Kimberly decided adoption would be best, and her husband agreed. "We lost the first in vitro. We lost the second one. And then my husband and I just one day looked at each other and said, maybe God's telling us it's time to adopt," wrote Kimberly for People.

This isn't the only example of Stephen supporting Kimberly through the years. During an interview with Country Living, Kimberly detailed the pivotal role he's played in their lives. "My husband is amazing. He has given me the foundation to live out my dreams," she shared, adding, "His life kind of revolves around my schedule and everything that's going on with me, and unfortunately he takes a back seat." She also revealed that they don't follow traditional roles within their marriage. "I am the one who has the business and he is the one who is often Mr. Mom and taking care of everything," Kimberly continued. "I cannot praise him enough for what he's done for me and our family."

For nearly two decades, fans thought that Kimberly Schlapman and Stephen Schlapman tied the knot during their Caribbean Island wedding, which took place in November 2006. According to People, the couple hosted a small gathering of their loved ones for their nuptials in the delightful tropical locale. "It was small and intimate and precious," Tracy McGlocklin, Kimberly's rep, told the outlet. "Bride, groom, and all the guests were barefoot." Unfortunately, photos of their undoubtedly scenic wedding aren't easily accessible, but it's clear it brought the couple happiness. "When I least expected it, love came back to me, and I am so grateful to God for His blessings," Kimberly said.

With that said, this wasn't the moment that Kimberly and Stephen actually became husband and wife. During an appearance on "Today with Jenna & Friends," the singer revealed that she and Stephen had already been officially married for several months before their wedding. And almost no one in her inner circle knew, including her parents. "Four people on the whole earth know about it, not my parents, not my mama and daddy," she said. "Schlap and I got married in November 2006, but six months earlier we eloped to Vegas." However, it wasn't an impromptu thing. "We planned it, we planned that we were going to go, because we were meeting some family out at the big beautiful lake out there," she continued, adding that "Elvis was at the reception."