Current:Home > MyMiss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst Details Mental Health Struggles in Posthumous Memoir-InfoLens
Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst Details Mental Health Struggles in Posthumous Memoir
View Date:2024-12-23 15:33:10
Cheslie Kryst's memory lives on.
Two years after the pageant star died by suicide at the age of 30, her family is releasing her posthumous memoir, By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie's Smile and Mental Illness, to help shed light on the difficulties she faced, even after winning Miss USA in 2019.
"Just hours after my win, I had to delete vomit-face emojis that a few accounts had plastered all over the comments on my Instagram page," she wrote in an excerpt published by People on April 22. "More than one person messaged me telling me to kill myself."
Cheslie explained that the hateful comments overshadowed her victory and worsened her mental health.
"All of this only added to my long-standing insecurities—the feeling that everyone around me knew more than I did, that everyone else was better at my job, and that I didn't deserve this title," she continued. "People would soon find out I was a fraud. I felt like an imposter, but not just in pageants."
Being in the spotlight ultimately made her feel like a failure, as she was "meticulously picked apart" in her interviews.
"Winning Miss USA hadn't made my imposter syndrome go away," she said. "Instead, I was waiting for people to realize I didn't have a clue about what I was doing."
And while she tried to "focus my thoughts on positive statements of power," Cheslie explained that the positivity "only lasted for so long."
By the Time You Read This is set to debut on April 23, with proceeds from the book going to the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, which offers mental health supports for youth and young adults. The book is a collaboration between Cheslie and her mother April Simpkins, who, prior to Cheslie's passing, received a note from her daughter asking that she ensure the memoir be published.
April has been open about Cheslie's mental health struggles and raising awareness ever since the beauty queen died by suicide in January 2022 in New York.
"Cheslie led both a public and a private life," she told E! News later that year. "In her private life, she was dealing with high-functioning depression which she hid from everyone—including me, her closest confidant—until very shortly before her death."
"I have never known a pain as deep as this," she added. "I am forever changed."
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.veryGood! (3412)
Related
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- California expands access to in vitro fertilization with new law requiring insurers to cover it
- Queer women rule pop, at All Things Go and in the current cultural zeitgeist
- San Diego Padres back in MLB playoffs after 'selfishness' doomed last season's flop
- Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
- Atlanta Braves and New York Mets players celebrate clinching playoff spots together
- West Virginia lawmakers delay taking up income tax cut and approve brain research funds
- Ariana Grande defends Ethan Slater, slams 'evil' tabloids for relationship coverage
- Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
- Steward Health Care files a lawsuit against a US Senate panel over contempt resolution
Ranking
- Maine elections chief who drew Trump’s ire narrates House tabulations in livestream
- Man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump will appear in court
- A crash with a patrol car kills 2 men in an SUV and critically injures 2 officers near Detroit
- Braves host Mets in doubleheader to determine last two NL playoff teams
- Mike Tyson emerges as heavyweight champ among product pitchmen before Jake Paul fight
- Best Early Prime Day Home Deals: Prices as Low as $5.98 on Milk Frothers, Meat Thermometers & More
- Repair and Prevent Hair Damage With Our Picks From Oribe, Olaplex, & More
- Arkansas sues YouTube over claims that the site is fueling a mental health crisis
Recommendation
-
Democrat Cleo Fields wins re-drawn Louisiana congressional district, flipping red seat blue
-
Timothée Chalamet Looks Unrecognizable With Hair and Mustache Transformation on Marty Supreme Set
-
Gavin Creel, Tony-winning Broadway star, dies at 48
-
Kendra Wilkinson Teases Return to Reality TV Nearly 2 Decades After Girls Next Door
-
Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
-
Cardi B Reveals How She Found Out She Was Pregnant With Baby No. 3
-
Mazda, Toyota, Harley-Davidson, GM among 224,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
As communities grapple with needle waste, advocates say limiting syringe programs is not the answer