Cherelle states how ‘tightly’ she’s holding onto wife Brittney Griner after months of separation
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Brittney and Cherelle Griner
Following a high-profile prisoner exchange, Brittney Griner returned to the United States earlier this month. The basketball player was imprisoned in Russia for nearly ten months after being found guilty of drug charges. On December 9, she arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and was soon reunited with her loved ones.
The Phoenix Mercury centre was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, accused of importing illegal substances, tried, and ultimately given a nine-year term in a Russian prison colony during her offseason while playing for the Russian Premier League basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg. Her wife in an interview with People spoke on how it felt to have her back.
She first spoke of what was her initial reaction when she heard Brittney was arrested, “It was almost as if somebody just punched you in the stomach and you inhaled,” says Cherelle of the shock. “You never get to breathe out.” In the 10 months that the Griner was detained in Russia, Cherelle finished her law school and stated how hard it was to stay hopeful in those 10 months. She admitted, “I was hopeless a lot of days… You try and stay grounded, but I’m human. Still, I would never completely give up hope on my wife’s life.”
Cherelle stated she was often full of tears when she thought of their reunion, she said “I had thought about that moment a thousand times, and I thought I would be full of tears. But I was overwhelmingly happy. It was the first time I was able to finally exhale, and I’m like, ‘Oh, thank God, this is such a great day.’”
Cherelle and Brittney Griner were finally reunited following a prisoner exchange
On December 8, President Joe Biden declared that the United States and Russia had reached an agreement for a prisoner swap, under which Brittney would be released in exchange for the convicted Russian arms trader Viktor Bout. Cherelle received that information firsthand from the White House.
Cherelle sat in a bunker in San Antonio, Texas, watching the tarmac awaiting Brittney’s arrival. After the aircraft finally touched down, Brittney had to wait before disembarking while being examined by medical staff. As soon as their eyes met through the plane glass, Cherelle and her wife both started crying, and when Brittney was finally allowed to disembark, the couple at last embraced.
She finally stated how it felt to finally embrace her, “I couldn’t stop touching her face, I was like, ‘Is this really you?’ It did not feel real. It was chilling — and warm. I was just holding on tight. I couldn’t let her go.”
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