Savannah Chrisley, the beloved reality TV star and daughter of Todd Chrisley, has recently made headlines for taking on the responsibility of guardianship for her younger siblings at the tender age of 26.
This courageous decision showcases not only Savannah’s maturity and selflessness but also highlights the importance of family bonds and support.
Savannah Chrisley recently was interviewed by E! News and she spoke about the reasoning behind the decision to quit Fox’s show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and she takes pride in doing so.
This decision came as a surprise and she decided this not because she is a quitter, she wants to spend more time caring for her brother Grayson 17, and niece Chloe 10. Her parents are serving time in prison and she has stepped in as guardian to the children. Some people think that Savannah is soft and she said she’s fine with that.
She said this to E! News, “I’ve always been super hard, like, ‘I’m fine, so nothing else bothers me. But I’ve learned how soft I really am and I think that’s something I’ve always wanted.”
Savannah is not just dealing with her parents being in prison, she is also dealing with the death of her ex Nic Kerdiles who died recently in a motorcycle accident. She is sad but is fighting through the sadness with her hard times. She tells E! News, “I don’t know when the blows are gonna stop coming, but I’m going to try.”
She also shared what she will do to “battle through” the hard times. “It’s not fun playing on the defensive, it’s not fun being hard-hearted. I’ve taken a lot of hurt, I’ve been scarred and I’ve allowed that to turn into anger. Now, I’m going to take that and try to turn it into something productive and live a life that is full and happy and where I can actually breathe.”
Hours before she made her exit from Special Forces she had an in-depth interview and revealed why she decided to quit the show. E! News asked her since she’s been going through such tough times recently how is she really doing. She said, “This week, I’m like, alright, we’re going to get back to normal life.
We’re going to start creating a good schedule for ourselves. For me, working out has been a good game-changer for me, for my mental health as a whole. And I haven’t been doing that, so I’m like, ‘Alright, I need to get back to it,’ and just try to give myself a little grace along the way.
Luckily, I’ve surrounded myself with a great group of people who have been there for me who have shown up for me when it’s been hard, and who have helped with the kids. So for that, I am forever grateful.”
They asked her if being on the Show helped distract her from what has been going on. She said, “It’s been a great distraction because I sit and watch it with my friends and we’ll laugh and cut up and just joke about everything that’s happening. And I know my parents are getting to watch it, so that’s enough for me.”
Special Forces was the last show she watched with her parents. What have been their thoughts about her time on the show? Savannah tells E! News, “When we were watching the show my mom said, ‘Savannah, you would be great on this,’ and then they reached out and I didn’t even think twice about it.
I was like, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ And now they get to watch it and it’s a way for us to connect, even though we’re not together. So that, for me, is enough. We can talk about it after and they get to see me and that’s the biggest blessing.”
E! News also asked her since she had been a top recruit for the show before her troubles began, what was the point of change? She said, “It was tough because I was there a week before the show ever started filming because we had to do different COVID protocol stuff. I had already been gone for that long and that was a challenge just being away from the kids, and all I could think about was, ‘Oh my god, are they okay?’
They were with their grandparents and my grandparents are in their ’70s, so it’s not like they are paying attention to everything that I would be paying attention to. They just can’t be as present, so I started worrying. And then I just started thinking to myself, I miss the kids so much.
Like, losing my dad this past year has been really tough, and trying to get them in a place of being okay. Especially with Chloe, I kept telling her, ‘Hey, I’m coming back.’ And she kept saying, ‘Are you going to come back?’ I was like, ‘Yes, I promise you I am coming back!’ So I kept replaying those conversations in my head and I was like, ‘You know what? I came and I showed up as best I could and that’s enough.’
Is she regretting the decision she made? Savannah said, ” I’ve always been such a perfectionist, and now for the first time, I was like, ‘I don’t need to show up perfectly, just as long as I show up, it’s enough.’ With the kids, I didn’t want them to think that just because I didn’t win, it was all just for nothing. You can be patient for yourself, give yourself some grace and just show up as you are because in today’s day and age, that’s enough.”
She was asked if her parents tried to tell her to stick with competing. She said, “Oh, trust me, they did. They kept telling me, ‘Stay, stay!’ Granted if you paid me more to stay to the end, if there was a prize at the end such as money, I would have endured anything! There’s bragging rights at the end. I’m good, I don’t need to brag!”
She was also asked how she was handling the guardianship of her brother and niece since she was so young. She revealed, “It’s so tough. At first, I felt so much guilt. I’m not their mom, I’m not their dad. So whenever people would say, like, ‘How old are you kids?’ Well, that’s my brother and sister.
It’s been a challenge because I didn’t get to have a child and learn as I go. It’s been a learning curve. We’re learning as we go because we’re struggling with the same things, we’re struggling with that loss, and unfortunately, I have to deal with mine at a later date. They are the priority and making sure they’re fine is what’s most important to me, so I’m having to take it as I go.”
What has been her sibling’s reaction to her returning home from Special Forces? Savannah said, “They are so happy. Chloe slept with me for a solid two weeks. They were so happy and before I left, Grayson and Chloe were crying. It’s hard when you lose two parents, and granted, they’re still alive, but we don’t get to call them, we don’t get to text them, we don’t get to just go and see them whenever we want. So I think they were so scared, like, ‘Okay, what if she doesn’t come back?’ And that was the biggest struggle.”
Savannah Chrisley’s decision to take on guardianship at such a young age is nothing short of admirable. Her selflessness and dedication to her siblings are commendable qualities that should serve as an inspiration to us all. In an era where personal ambitions often overshadow familial responsibilities, Savannah reminds us that family comes first – no matter what challenges lie ahead.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
Photo Credit: @savannahchrisley on Instagram
