Cheslie Kryst’s Publicist Recalls Their Final Conversation Days Before Her Death

On Monday’s episode of “CBS Good Morning,” LaToya revealed that she spoke with Cheslie on Friday, January 28, just 48 hours before she took her life.

Of her final conversation with the “Extra” correspondent, Evans shared, “She sounded happy as usual. Nothing was amiss.”

Kryst had a “packed week” ahead, Evans confirmed. “We had meetings planned for this past week. She had photo shoots, [and] dinner with friends.”

“She was planning for her future,” LaToya stressed, “so it took us all by shock and surprise.”

Last week, Kryst’s death was ruled a suicide. Her mother April Simpkins revealed that she was “dealing with high-functioning depression,” which she kept hidden from everyone “until very shortly before her death.”

LaToya said, “High-functioning depression is really for the overachievers, for the people who are celebrated like Cheslie was and unfortunately taking that pain and hiding it from others.”

Nate Burleson reflected on working with Cheslie, saying, “Her light was always on.” When Nate asked LaToya if she could recall any moments where she was concerned, she said, “Honestly, I can’t. There were no signs because Cheslie didn’t show signs. She purposefully concealed those because she didn’t want to burden her family and her friends.”

LaToya also weighed in on Cheslie’s Allure essay last year, in which the former Miss USA expressed her worries about turning 30 and feeling the constant pressures of chasing the next award. When asked if the essay was a sign of trouble, she said, “I think it points to the high-functioning depression, especially for people in the limelight. They crave the awards, they crave the accolades. That’s exactly what Cheslie did. I think that essay, in hindsight, speaks a little bit to the high-functioning depression.”

Nate pointed out, “That could push you to exhaustion because you’re working so much to get the admiration.”

As for how Cheslie’s family is coping with the loss, LaToya shared, “The family is full of grief. It’s a shocker, so they are still processing it.”

When asked if the family has any more insight into the tragedy, Evans said, “I think in the future they’ll reveal more about high-functioning depression and more about who Cheslie was when they are done with this stage of the grief process.”

Evans noted that the family is “so thankful for the outpouring of love and support,” even creating a website in Cheslie’s honor.

Of the website, which is “launching later today,” LaToya said, “They want to collect all of those memories that we’ve been seeing on social media that talk about how incredible Cheslie was.”