'American Idol' runner-up says she didn't want her past abusive marriage used as a 'sob story' to help her win

• ASE, formerly known as La'Porsha Renae, was a young single mom on season 15 of "American Idol."
• After leaving an abusive marriage, she said she didn't want her "sob story" to be part of the show.

"American Idol" has aired its fair share of contestants' tragic backstories — and ASE, formerly known as La'Porsha Renae, didn't want her past to be just another one on season 15.

Speaking to Insider for the Fox-ABC show's 20th anniversary, the runner-up said she initially kept her past experience with domestic abuse private because she "didn't want a sob story."

"I didn't want America to love me for my story," ASE said. "I wanted them to love me for my voice."

Before she decided to audition, she said she was in the process of pressing charges against her ex-husband, who had nearly taken her life.

She said the supportive environment on 'Idol' eventually made her comfortable enough to share her story

When ASE heard that season 15 of Fox's "American Idol" would be its "Farewell Season" (before it was later picked up by ABC), she took it as a "green light from God."

Six years after her first attempt at auditioning for season 10, she drove 29 hours to Providence, Rhode Island, for a second shot — this time with her infant daughter in tow.

Although she went in resistant, ASE told Insider the "Idol" production team applied "kind pressure" and created a supportive environment on set, so she felt "comfortable" and "confident" sharing her story during her audition.

After three rounds of auditions, she went to Little Rock, Arkansas, and blew judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban away with a performance of Radiohead's "Creep," which earned her a ticket to Hollywood.

ASE is grateful for her time on the show but said it was overwhelming at times, especially as a single mother

ASE said she was able to bring her mother and daughter with her to Hollywood, and they shared a place together throughout her season.

Although multiple former "Idol" contestants have told Insider the show shot B-roll footage and interviews in and out of the studio, ASE said that she was also given added privacy while she dealt with the legal drama in her personal life.

"I think it would have probably been traumatic for me at that time if we did have to shoot B-roll in the apartment and my daughter had to be all on screen all the time because, all during the show, I was actually still simultaneously fighting my ex-husband in court for me and my daughter's freedom," she told Insider.

Despite her accommodations, ASE said there were still a few blind spots, including the time her vocal mentor wanted her to perform the song "Stay With Me Baby" by Lorraine Ellison.

"I was a domestic-violence survivor," ASE told Insider. "I was not interested in singing a song begging a man to stay with me after he had cheated on me, and all of that stuff. I wasn't in that mental place."

Representatives for "American Idol" did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.