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Brittney Griner's Wife Opens Up About Their Emotional Holiday Together: 'It's Very Overwhelming'
On February 17, the news of WNBA star Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia took the world by storm.
Griner was traveling to rejoin the Russia Premier League's UMMC Ekaterinburg team, which she plays for during her WNBA off-season, when she was stopped at a Moscow airport.
Griner was taken into custody by Russian officials and charged for carrying illegal drugs because the vape pen she was carrying contained hash oil.
She was tried and sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison colony.
Griner remained there for 294 days.
On December 8, Griner's wife Cherelle Griner joined President Biden in the Oval Office where he announced to her and the rest of the viewing world Brittney was finally coming home. She had boarded a plane and was leaving Russia.
Brittney was released as part of a controversial prisoner swap deal. Arms dealer Viktor Bout was exchanged and returned to Russia.
Griner's plane landed in San Antonio, Texas where she spent a couple of days under observation and evaluation before heading to hers and Cherelle's home in Arizona.
\u201cThe reunion. Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle hold each other tight after being apart for 294 days.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1672171405
During Brittney's 10 month detainment, Cherelle managed to finish law school, all while advocating and fighting for her wife's—and other detainees'—safe return, suffering sleepless nights only to do the same day in and day out.
Now that the two are home together, the restless nights haven't necessarily ceased.
Cherelle revealed:
"The first night, we didn't sleep at all."
"We just talked all night long and all morning."
"And it was so good to be able to do it without three weeks in between the conversation, because for 10 months we were just passing letters."
"It was great to have that dialogue back and forth."
Cherelle also shared it was tough to go through something so traumatic without being able to be there for each other.
"It's unfortunate that those 10 months happened without us being able to be side-by-side."
"But it happened and we're embracing the fact that we now get to learn each other's story through that time."
"So we're taking it slow."
She continued:
"Day by day, we're just feeding a little bit to the soul and understanding each other's journey so we can actually start walking together."
While Cherelle acknowledged her excitement her family is reunited, she admitted their relationship took a new path.
"On one hand, I'm doing amazing."
"My family's whole, I have my person, and so I feel the most supported and safe and secure as I've ever felt in life."
"But it's overwhelming."
"We're plus-13 days in from BG being away for almost 10 months. So it's a new journey for us."
"And so we're definitely trying to figure out how we blend back as one."
Now that the holiday season is in full swing, the couple is doing their best to fit in family traditions that just last month felt unattainable.
First of all, the competition is on for their chocolate chip and white macadamia nut cookie bakeoff tradition.
Cherelle joked:
"BG's actually turned out better than mine last year. I have to redeem myself."
They are also trying to fit in their holiday movie tradition, which typically begins with The Grinch and continues with one movie a night.
Cherelle revealed, however, that they haven't quite successfully stuck to the schedule.
"We haven't even gotten to any of the new movies because we always start with The Grinch."
"We can't get past it because we keep talking."
"That's the starter, and we're officially failing."
And finally, they are enjoying their homemade hot chocolate - regular and spiked - with "just the right spices."
Twitter users congratulated the Griners on their beautiful reunion.
Must feel like heaven. God bless them
— Melo-007 (@onitnyc07) December 28, 2022
Love wins ❤️ praying for BG getting well soon and Paul Whelan’s return home. Thank you #weareBG for advocating for him. We Americans stand to each other. 🙏
— Esther Edelstein #weAreBG (@Blume1003) December 28, 2022
All the happiness to them
— I'm Fine. It's Fine. (@JanetSandberg56) December 27, 2022
🥰🙏🏼💕
— Mary Jo McKay 🌻 (@sheyenne9) December 27, 2022
OMG. Imagine their joy. 💕💕💕
— beki (@IDontEvenWait) December 27, 2022
🙏🙏🙏
— patricia ☮️ (@patriciamUNITE) December 27, 2022
So awesome!
— Kristin Van Weele (@kvanweele) December 27, 2022
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
— Stef_TurtleNew!🍉🌻🇺🇦🪶✌🏻✌🏿✌🏽 (@StefTurtlemtn) December 28, 2022
Brittney also posted a note to Instagram last week, thanking her fans for their support to help get her home.
Brittney also asked for continued effort to bring other detainees back to the US.
Cherelle, now a lawyer, has also vowed to dedicate her profession to advocating for wrongfully detained Americans around the world.
She said:
"I realized how voiceless the issue is."
"I was 29 when Brittney was detained, and that's when I found out that it was even a real thing."
"That shouldn't be the case."
"I should have known about that before, which means we need more voices around this issue."
"My story came full circle. But there's so many other Americans, their story is not full circle."
"And so it's changed everything about what I thought I was going to do career-wise."
Of their new journey, Cherelle finished:
"We're mindful of the fact you can't go backwards."
"You say, 'Oh, let's get back to normal.'"
"We do understand that the normal we are referring to was what we were doing before February 17."
"We reminisce about certain things in the past."
"Still, we're trying to make sure we're not going backwards."
"For the most part, we're eyes focused on what's in store next for the both of us."