Cheslie Kryst represented USA at Miss Universe 2019. Image Source: Missology
The late Cheslie Kryst’s mother, April Simpkins opens up about her suicide.
April Simpkins, Cheslie Kryst's mother, presented the last text she received from her daughter before she committed suicide in January on Red Table Talk, which was hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, who is usually joined at the table by her daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris.
Before sharing the last text she sent her, April Simpkins said that she would like people to stop saying that Cheslie was murdered because the speculation would get the police involved and she does not want that because she knows Cheslie died of suicide and it’s already painful for her to cope up with her daughter's death. She added that it pains her to read and hear people talk about something that they don't know but the family already knows. She said that Cheslie knew that she’d be at her exercise class when she sent her the text so she could not talk her out of it or try to intervene to rescue her.
April Simpkins shared with the ladies the text that said that Cheslie apologized, and she knew she wouldn't be alive when her mother read the text. Cheslie went on to say that writing it makes her sad because she knows it will upset her mother, and that she loves her. For years, she was her best friend and the one person with whom she shared her life. Cheslie wrote in her text that she wanted she could have stayed with her, but she couldn't handle the weight of her despair, hopelessness, and loneliness.
April Simpkins further read the text which said that Cheslie never told her feelings to her mother because she never wanted her to worry about her, and she hoped that her feelings would eventually change, but they never did. Instead, they followed her through every accomplishment, success, family gathering, and friendly dinner. Cheslie shared with her mother in the text that she cried every day like she was in mourning and she had wished for death for years. She mentioned that she knew that her mother would have wanted to help her, but she never really wanted to share this weight with anyone.
The former Miss USA added her last text to her mother, thanking her for being there for her in some of the moments when she was lonely but couldn’t tell her. She added that her mother kept her alive and ready to face another day because her mother’s act of answering the phone call and coming to her rescue meant so much to Cheslie. The beauty pageant queen appreciated her mother’s efforts to listen to her and care for her when she needed it and added that she made her feel loved.
Cheslie, in her text, wrote that her mother is someone she loves the most and stated that she had done nothing wrong but everything right. April Simpkins also shared that Cheslie wrote some personal information along with her final wishes in her suicide note, which the mother declined to share with the world, and by the end of her text reading, every one of the women seated at the table broke into tears because it was an emotional thing for a mother to talk about her daughter’s death.
April Simpkins shared that Cheslie Kryst had struggled with depression since her early 20s and had previously tried to commit suicide as well. April added that she started to take help and do things the right way after her first attempt. The former Miss USA opened up about her mental health struggles and her strategies to improve her wellness in interviews in recent years. Cheslie shared that talking to her counselor helped her a lot and she gave her great strategies to cope with it. She mentioned in her post, which she shared on Mental Health Day 2019, that she likes to decompress, unplug, shut her phone off, and sit and watch movies.
If you live in New York City and are having suicidal thoughts or are having a mental health crisis, call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis therapy. If you live outside of the five boroughs, call 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
