Vanessa Bryant’s daughters have helped her “smile through the pain” of losing her husband Kobe Bryant and her 13-year-old daughter Gigi.
Kobe and Gigi both lost their lives in January 2020 when they were involved in a fatal helicopter crash, and Vanessa has now said her other three daughters – Natalia, 18, Bianka, four, and Capri, 20 months – are what “motivates” her to keep going.
She said: "Helping my girls navigate through this heartache is important to me. Making sure that they know that they are loved, supported and important is what motivates me.
“I can't say that I'm strong every day [and] I can't say that there aren't days when I feel like I can't survive to the next. [But] my girls help me smile through the pain. They give me strength."
Vanessa also heaped praise on her eldest daughter Natalia, as she said the teenager has managed to balance her senior year of high school with her “own grief” as well as her recently signed modelling contract with IMG.
She added: "I'm extremely proud of Natalia. On top of her own grief, she has balanced her senior year of high school, applying to colleges, nurturing her sisters, and just recently signing her own modelling contract with IMG. She is a wonderful big sister and an incredible daughter."
The 38-year-old admitted she can’t always hide her sadness from her children, but said she always makes sure to “find the light in the darkness” wherever possible.
She told People magazine: "My eyes and pain can't be filtered in person. They know mommy has hard days but when I see their faces when they realize that I've been crying, it makes me straighten up and push through for them. I counter it with making them smile about something. ... Always finding the light in darkness."
