Luke Bryan says his wife supported him while he struggled as a songwriter

ABC/Image Group LALuke Bryan may be a superstar now, but nearly 12 years ago he was a young newlywed trying to make things work financially. During an appearance on Pickler & Ben on Monday, the “What Makes You Country” singer admitted that his wife, Caroline, was the breadwinner early on in their relationship.

“When we got married, her career supported me when I was making about $10,000 a year,” he revealed. “She was the one bringing in the dough.”

The couple has a long history together: They first met in college. Luke was two years older, and admits he and Caroline’s relationship was a bit bumpy before he got things going in Nashville.

“We’d date a little in college, and then we’d break up,” he explained. “And then I would be devastated. We’d get back together, break up. Then she would be devastated.”

He continued: “We finally decided we were not going to break up anymore. And then I graduate college, and she has two more years, and then we break up again. It was like the Dark Ages for both of us.”

“We were apart for 5½ years, which was kind of a blessing, because I went off to Nashville, got all this going. She finished college. She went and actually had a career,” he recalls.

Luke and Caroline will celebrate 12 years of marriage next month.