Vanessa Bryant says she’s ‘finding the light in darkness’ after losing husband Kobe and daughter Gianna

Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant has revealed she is focused on ‘finding the light in darkness’ as she tries to move forward from the death of her husband and their daughter Gianna.

The grieving widow of the Los Angeles Lakers legend spoke candidly in People Magazine, as she graced the cover of the publication’s Women Changing The World issue.

Kobe, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi were killed along with seven others when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed on January 26, 2020.

Opening up about her life after the tragedy, Vanessa told the magazine that the memory of her late husband and daughter helps to ‘motivate me to keep going’.

‘I can’t say that I’m strong every day,’ Vanessa explained. ‘I can’t say that there aren’t days when I feel like I can’t survive to the next.’

The 38-year-old then stated how she’s been pushing through the heartache as she tries to rebuild a life for herself and her three daughters.

As well as Gianna, the couple also had three more daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, four, and one-year-old Capri. 

She explained: ‘This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again.

‘But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do.’

Vanessa explained that her devotion to her daughters was her saving grace as she added: ‘My girls help me smile through the pain. They give me strength.’

On the magazine cover, Vanessa could be seeing sporting a Lakers jacket with Kobe’s No. 24 on the right sleeve.

Kobe and his daughter, who was also a keen basketball player, had been on their way to Kobe’s Mamba Academy for basketball practice when the helicopter crashed, killing all nine on board including the pilot. 

Vanessa stated she is now focused on honoring their legacy by creating opportunities for young female athletes.

She has taken charge of creative projects left unfinished at Granity Studios, the late NBA star’s multimedia company.

Elsewhere, Vanessa recently relaunched Kobe’s charitable non-profit as Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation to help empower young girls and provide equal opportunities to underserved athletes.

Kobe and Vanessa met in 1999 when Vanessa was working as a background model on a music video at the age of 17 and Kobe was 21, getting engaged six months later and married in 2001. 

People’s Women Changing The World issue salutes the activists, innovators and role models who are making a difference.

Got A Showbiz Story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Vanessa Bryant hits back at Evan Rachel Wood for ‘vile’ tweet labelling late husband Kobe a ‘rapist’

MORE : Meek Mill apologizes to Vanessa Bryant after she slams him for ‘disrespectful’ Kobe lyric