HE NEVER MADE ME FEEL LIKE MY LIGHT NEEDED TO BE SMALLER: Hannah Harper is opening up about the man behind her *American Idol* journey — and fans are now emotional over the support and sacrifices her husband made while she chased her dream. 👇 One part of their story is changing how fans see her win

‘American Idol’s Hannah Harper Reveals the ‘Best’ Way Her Husband Supported Her

Hannah Harper won Season 24 of American Idol, and she admittedly couldn’t have done it without the support of her husband, Devon Mendenhall. The two have been married since April 2018, and Devon held down the fort with their three children while Hannah pursued her singing dreams on Idol.

The whole family was with Hannah in Los Angeles for two months during the Live Shows, and Hannah told Swooon that being able to lean on Devon after every performance was the most important part of having him there.

“Just the emotional weight at the end of each night … just being able to take it off and be like, ‘Here you go,’ and he would take it every single week,” Hannah says. “That was probably the best. I was thankful I had that. Most of the other contestants were carrying it until the end of the competition, and it was like a blanket that I got to take off each night. That was the best part.”

Disney/Eric McCandless

While Hannah says the moment she was announced as the winner is “blurry,” she recalled the moment she first got to see Devon afterwards. “I can’t believe they had us sing as the confetti was falling,” she admitted. “That was nuts. We were worshipping, though, and it was really good. So I opened my eyes, and all of the contestants were behind me, so I was looking for my husband. It took me a minute to find him. But he came onto the stage within minutes, so I got to share that moment with him shortly after.”

Ahead of the finale, Hannah and her family returned to Missouri for a hometown parade, and the kids stayed back home when Hannah and Devon returned to Los Angeles for the final push. They still got to share the special victory moment with their mom, though.

“My husband FaceTimed them while we were on the stage,” she said with a smile. “The smallest one was already in bed because it was already 10:30 our time, so it was late. But they were really excited. As soon as I held up the ticket, my 3-year-old was like [gasps]. He has no idea what it is, but he thinks it’s cool. It’s sparkly, that’s what he liked about it.”