How Brittney Griner and Wife are Rebuilding Their Lives After Release from Russian Prison

Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle are slowly returning to their lives after 294 days apart.

The WNBA player, who was detained in Russia on February 17 and sentenced to nine years in prison for carrying a vape pen with hash oil, has finally returned home to Arizona after the United States exchanged her Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

On December 8, Cherelle found out Brittney was returning when she walked into the Oval Office and heard President Biden announce her return.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Griner in Game Five of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs semifinals to win the series at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 8, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I had thought about that moment a thousand times, and I thought I would be full of tears," she told PEOPLE. "But I was overwhelmingly happy. It was the first time I was able to finally exhale, and I'm like, 'Oh, thank God, this is such a great day.'"

After 10 months without seeing each other, Brittney's homecoming was full of joy, much-needed love and happy tears. When their eyes first met while Brittney was still aboard the airplane that carried her home, they both started crying.

"We were both just instantly crying," she said. "I was standing there full of tears and someone ran over and handed me a handkerchief. I definitely needed it."

Adding, "Those seconds couldn't go by fast enough."

Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images Brittney Griner escorted by police before a hearing during her trial in Russia.

When Brittney was allowed to disembark, the two fell into a tight embrace. "I couldn't stop touching her face," Cherelle continued. "I was like, 'Is this really you?' It did not feel real. It was chilling—and warm. I was just holding on tight. I couldn't let her go."

After two days of observation in Texas, the couple made their way home, where they talked endlessly for the first few days.

"The first night, we didn't sleep at all," she said. "We just talked all night long and all morning. And it was so good to be able to do it without three weeks in between the conversation because for 10 months we were passing letters. It was great to have that dialogue back and forth."

Despite their time apart, they are learning to reconnect.

"It's unfortunate that those 10 months happened without us being able to be side-by-side," Cherelle said. "But it happened, and we're embracing the fact that we now get to learn each other's story through that time. So we're taking it slow. We are not doing it all at once. But we are honoring the fact that I went through something that was really hard and difficult without BG's awareness, and vice versa. Day by day, we're just feeding a little bit to the soul and understanding each other's journey so we can actually start walking together."

After her return, Brittney has been involved in post-isolation activities and has requested her fans write letters to another American detainee in Russia, Paul Whelan. In a statement on Instagram, she asked the followers who advocated for her return to do the same for Whelan and other families of those who have been wrongfully detained.

"Thanks to the effort of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months," she wrote. "You took time to show me you cared, and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered. Your letters helped me not to lose hope during a time where I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined."

In the letter, she details how much hope the #WeAreBG campaign helped her stay hopeful during some of the worst moments of her life.

"My family's whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together. However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained," she added. "Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG campaign to bring me home and it's our turn to support them. I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families."