It feels safe to say that no one is happier or more relieved that WNBA star Brittney Griner has finally been released from her Russian detainment than her wife, Cherelle Griner, who spoke about the news at a press conference alongside President Joe Biden. Having been tireless in keeping Griner’s name in the news for nearly a year now, Cherelle was all smiles as she took to the podium to speak a few emotional words.
“So over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions,” Cherelle said. “But the most important emotion I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration.”
Cherelle didn’t say a lot about herself but used her time to thank the “many hands involved” in securing Griner’s release, naming Vice President Kamala Harris and several otherwise unknown government officials who’d worked so hard to free Griner.
Cherelle also hasn’t forgotten Paul Whelan, another American prisoner who the Biden administration was unable to include in the prisoner swap. “Today my family is whole, but as you all are aware, there’s so many other families who are not whole,” she said. “BG’s not here to say this, but I will gladly speak on her behalf and say that BG and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today as we celebrate BG being home. We do understand there are still people out here who are enduring what I endured the last nine months of missing tremendously their loved one.”
In an October interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Cherelle described feeling “terrified” at not knowing when or if she’d ever see her wife again. At Glamour, she told the audience, “I’ve spent the last eight months riding waves of grief and to be honest, just total disbelief.”
Now, finally, the nightmare has passed. “Today is just a happy day for me and my family,” Cherelle Griner said at the press conference. “So I’m gonna smile right now.”
