DeAnna Pappas is observing a moment of reflection while commemorating the 31st anniversary of her mother’s death.
“My grandmother once told me that roses were my mom’s favorite. We lost her 31 years ago,” Pappas, 43, captioned a pic of a bouquet of red roses via her Instagram Story on Monday, March 31. “31 years is a long time to go without a mother. For her to have never met my children💔.” (She shares her daughter Addison, 11, and son Austin, 9, with her ex-husband, Stephen Stagliano.)
Pappas’ mother, Marie, died of cancer when the former Bachelorette was just 12 years old. Pappas and Stagliano honored her late mom by giving their daughter the middle name “Marie.”
Pappas seemingly referred to her divorce and recent arrest by writing that she’s “been through a lot over the last few years … the last several weeks.” The Bachelorette alum noted that her struggles have made her “miss” her mom more than ever.
“I miss her. And wish she were here to hug me,” she continued. “I buy her roses all the time especially on the anniversary of the day I lost her.” Pappas followed-up her emotional post by sharing a pair of selfies she took with her mother’s namesake.
Bachelor Nation met Pappas when she competed on Brad Womack’s season 11 of The Bachelor in 2007. She went on to lead season 4 of The Bachelorette the following year and ended the season engaged to Jesse Csincsak. The pair split less than one year later, after which she moved on with Stephen after meeting his twin brother, Michael, through the ABC series.
The couple announced they were getting a divorce after 11 years of marriage in January 2023. “We have been working hard for a long time — both as a married couple & as individuals & have come to the conclusion to remain separate,” Pappas said in a statement at the time. “We remain loving parents to our beautiful children, Addison & Austin, & will continue to raise them together with love & faith.”
Later that year, Pappas revealed that she visited a “trauma center” to help her navigate her emotions through the divorce process. “I went three days a week for three hours — intensive therapy,” she said on a July 2023 episode of the “After Reality” podcast. “[It was] the best thing I could have done for myself. I found it astounding and life-changing. If I could have afforded to go for another month, I would have because I found it astounding and the things that I learned about myself and my marriage.”
Last month, Pappas was arrested after an altercation involving Stephen. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Pappas denied claims from Stephen and his mother that she had a drinking problem. She was arrested on a misdemeanor charge and was released the same day after paying her $20,000 bond.
“The basis of [Stephen’s] is based on his fabrication that I am an alcoholic,” she claimed in her legal response. “This is wholly false and fabricated as [a] way for [Stephen] to gain leverage in his attempt to alienate the children from me.” (Us reached out to Stephen’s lawyer and Pappas at the time for comment.)
Pappas filed for a restraining order against her ex on March 7, in which she wrote that Stephen’s alleged “past mental health issues do not mean that I do not think he is a good father.”
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