Cheslie Kryst’s mother is opening up about the struggles the star endured leading up to her death. The 2019 winner of the Miss USA pageant and "Extra" correspondent passed away in January of this year at age 30.
Police said Kryst jumped from a New York City apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene. Three months after her passing, April Simpkins sat down with Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris for an episode of "Red Table Talk" that airs Wednesday.
Simpkins said it’s been "healing" to talk about her beloved daughter while raising awareness on the importance of mental health. "I think what shocked so many people is when you see her on television, when you see her on Instagram, TikTok, she's smiling, she's bubbly, and that was Cheslie," Simpkins shared during her appearance. "But Cheslie was also battling depression, which she hid." Miss USA Cheslie Kryst passed away in January at age 30. (Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage) "Did you see any preliminary signs?" asked Willow, 21. ‘I did," Simpkins replied. "I knew Cheslie was suffering from depression.
I didn’t know the severity of it.This was not her first suicide attempt. She attempted suicide before, and it was after that first attempt that she and I grew very close.
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