Chrishell Stause Details 'Washing Her Hair In The River' As A Homeless Child

Reality star Chrishell Stause is reflecting on the challenges she faced as a child and how those experiences helped her achieve her goals today.

During her summer getaway in Greece, the "Selling Sunset" star took to Instagram, opening up to her fans and dropping the bombshell that she dealt with homelessness during her childhood.

Chrishell Stause has previously shared her experience with homelessness during her childhood in Kentucky in her 2022 book, "Under Construction", and has been candid about it in "Selling Sunset."

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Stause shared a photo of herself in a bikini, lounging on the edge of an oceanfront pool at the One & Only Kéa Island resort.

"If someone showed this to my 12 yr old self washing her hair in the river who wasn’t sure when she would get to have a place to call home again, I am not sure I could have believed it," she began in the caption. "I now have the privilege to show off this new STUNNING property on Kéa Island in Greece with my bestie! WHAT."

She was on vacation with her friend Chris Appleton, who commented on the post, "You’ve come along way, you should be proud." Her partner G Flip, also commented, "So proud of you. cya soon hottie."

Immediately, fans flooded the comments section, sharing their support for the "Selling Sunset" star. 

"So proud of you!! Out here taking over the world," one user wrote. "Watching you kill the game has been my favorite."

Another said, "So happy that such a beautiful soul has a beautiful life to match."

"You have the most amazing heart. You give people that have struggled, hope," a third wrote. "Now, also please share your fitness secrets as many of us are genuinely in awe of your amazing figure."

"Congrats Chrishell! You deserve the best and you worked so hard for it!!" a fourth expressed.

When speaking to Page Sixin 2022, Stause revealed that she was “homeless a few times in my life and it was really hard growing up, but now I’m super grateful about everything,” adding that her childhood has meant she’s “still really cheap!”

“I definitely relate to any kid who has lived without running water or electricity or having to be the smelly kid going to school because you don’t have the resources," she added. "It’s hard. I really relate to them and I want to help them as much as possible. It’s a unique situation that you’ll never forget where you came from.”

Her book, "Under Construction: Because Living My Best Life Took A Little Work," dives into her small-town Kentucky upbringing, highlighting the struggles she faced with addiction and periods of homelessness.

“[P]eople see me now and assume I was born in a $20 million LA Mansion,” she said. “Instead of being someone whose childhood was filled with eviction notices and who spent time living in an abandoned schoolhouse that had a leaky roof and a room full of old, creepy dolls in it."

“We lived in that schoolhouse for a while when I was in high school, and to this day I cannot stand the smell of mildew," she continued. "The collapsed roof meant that the old mattress I slept on was always a little wet and mildewy … no utilities, but there was an old janitor’s closet and some puddles of dirty water … It was a source of deep humiliation for me. I was terrified people would find out we were actually squatting there.”

Stause has joined organizations that combat homelessness. On Thanksgiving Day 2021, she and her then-boyfriend Jason Oppenheim volunteered to serve meals to those in need.

"Had such a great day volunteering with @thelamission who hosted such an amazing Thanksgiving for the homeless of LA today," she wrote at the time. "This is a cause close to my heart and I feel like speaking on it helps dismiss the conventional stereotype some people have of who these people are."