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Mama June Breaks Down While Grieving Late Daughter Anna Cardwell’s Death: ‘It’s a Lot’
June “Mama June” Shannon broke down in tears while grieving the death of her late daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, following her battle with cancer.
While reflecting on Anna’s death, June, 44, admitted she was having a hard time sleeping and regularly thought she could hear her daughter calling out to her in a teaser clip for the Friday, July 12, episode of Mama June: Family Crisis shared by Entertainment Tonight.
“I just lay there thinking she’s gonna ask for medicine or she’s gonna do this, or she’s gonna do that, but we never get to see her again,” June said through tears. “We never get to touch her again or anything like that. It’s a lot.”
While her husband, Justin Stroud, encouraged her to get emotional and cry, June explained she wanted to stay strong for the sake of Anna’s daughter Kaitlyn, who was living with them.
“You can’t tell somebody how to grieve,” she added.
However, Justin, 35, said he wasn’t “telling [her] how to grieve.” He continued, “I’m your husband, that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to try to help you grieve, and that’s what I’m doing. But you can’t just shut down.”
June made it clear she didn’t agree with Justin and insisted she needed to stay strong for Kaitlyn, 11. “You’ve got to put on a brave face because now I’m raising an 11-year-old child, so you have to show her that life does go on,” she said.
Despite his wife’s insistence that she couldn’t express her sadness, Justin admitted he was worried for June in a confessional. “Since Anna’s death, June’s trying to keep everything bottled up inside of her and she’s not wanting to talk about it. I’m not trying to tell her how to grieve,” he told the cameras. “I just want her to know that I’m here for her. It’s OK to cry. It’s OK to be mad, but you have to be willing to sit down and talk about it.”
Anna died at the age of 29 in December 2023 following her battle with stage 4 cancer. The final months of her life were documented on the reality show, while June, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon previously reflected how how they were honoring Anna during an exclusive interview with In Touch.
“I would say for me it’s a struggle. I do carry her. She’s actually with me today,” the mother of four said about Anna as she showed off a tribute bracelet she got in honor of her eldest daughter’s memory. “We have jewelry and stuff that we carry. Like, she’s always with us. We talk about her all the time.”
Lauryn, 24, added that they also also make sure to remember her so that Kaitlyn and Anna’s youngest daughter, Kylee, remember her. While June was granted custody of Kaitlyn, 11, Kylee, 8, currently lives with her father, Michael Cardwell.
“We have Kaitlyn, too, so [that’s] definitely a consistent reminder in having Kaitlyn,” Lauryn continued. “We wanna keep that alive, too. Cause that is her mama.”
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