Following Brittney's release from a Russian prison, Cherelle Griner recalled the touching moment she and the WNBA star first met.
In an updated interview with People, which was released on Tuesday, December 27, Brittney Griner's wife Cherelle discussed how emotional it was to see the WNBA star back in the country.
According to Cherelle, 30, they experienced a whirlwind of emotions while waiting for medical staff to give Brittney, 32, the all-clear to disembark the plane.
Cherelle admitted that she was overcome with emotion when her wife returned home after they had been apart for ten months due to her wife's arrest on drug-related charges in Russia.
She admitted to the outlet that both of us started crying at once.
I was sobbing uncontrollably when someone rushed over and handed me a handkerchief; I certainly needed it.
The now-lawyer also disclosed that she was still in shock and had spent the entire night with her because she was glad to finally have a chance to speak with her face-to-face.
She said, "I just couldn't let her go. I couldn't stop touching her face. I was like, "Is this really you?" It didn't feel real. It was chilling — and warm.
We just talked all night and all morning, and it was wonderful to be able to do it without waiting three weeks in between ...
...because for ten months we were exchanging letters. It was wonderful to have that back and forth communication.
Brittney was detained in Moscow in February for having marijuana vape cartridges, and she described the experience as being overwhelmingly joyful. "Oh, thank God, this is such a great day," she said.
Brittney opened up about getting to return home in an Instagram post after her release after Biden revealed that the government had struck a deal with Russia to bring her back in a prisoner exchange.
She wrote in a post, "The last 10 months have been a struggle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith, and it was the ...
...love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.".