Savannah Chrisley is learning more about her inner strength as her parents serve a combined 19 years in prison for tax fraud.
Although it’s been over a year since her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, reported to prison for their involvement in a multimillion dollar bank fraud and tax evasion scheme, the Chrisley Knows Best star, 26, is opening up about why she continues to struggle with navigating her life on the May 28 episode of her podcast Unlocked.
“It’s so tough because I’ve said it before. It’s mom and dad not being here,” she said while discussing her parents’ absence on Mother’s Day. “It’s like learning to grieve the loss of people who are still alive, and grief is real. It is. Sometimes I like to turn a blind eye to it. I like to not feel it.”
Noting that she likes to “just pack it all away,” she added that she’s trying to figure out the best way to navigate her emotions and “also not feel guilty about moving on with my life.”
“It’s so hard because, like, the first year mom and dad were gone, literally every weekend, I was gone. Every weekend, I went and visited one of them,” she explained. “And now, I mean, I say we go twice a month now, and there’s definitely some guilt associated with it because you’re like, ‘Nah, I shouldn’t be moving on with my life. I need to be there. I need to be seeing them.'”
Savannah said that she’s also been dealing with “guilt” over her longing to get married and have kids.
“I’m trying to figure out, like, okay, how do I move on without making my parents feel like I’m moving on without them? How do I, you know, please everyone, which I think is kind of hard to do,” continued Savannah. “It’s probably impossible. I don’t know. It’s really tough.”
The podcast host continued by sharing a quote that really resonated with her when she was overwhelmed by her emotions.
“Be proud of how you’ve been handling these past few months, The silent battles you fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you’ve wiped your own tears, celebrate your strength,” the quote read.
Earlier in the episode, Savannah, who is now the primary guardian of her niece Chloe and her brother Grayson, touched on how she “burst into tears” after receiving a Mother’s Day card for Chloe that made her realize she’s doing a “good job” as a guardian.
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“Chloe wrote a letter to me for Mother’s Day, and the letter says, ‘Happy Mother’s Day to Savannah. I know that you weren’t expecting me and Grayson to come in your hands, but you are doing a great job with me and Grayson. Keep up your work. Love, Chloe,” she shared.