Todd and Julie Chrisley say they’re ‘living every day like it’s their last’ after being sentenced to a combined 19 years in jail for fraud.
The reality TV stars, who are known for their popular shows about family life and real estate including Chrisley Knows Best, were found to have submitted fake financial documents exaggerating their wealth and then claiming huge bank loans to fund their lavish lifestyle.
After their $30 million fraud conviction, Todd was ordered to serve 12 years in prison, while Julie received a seven-year sentence.
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The pair later announced they would be appealing their sentences, releasing a statement through lawyer Alex Little that said: “Todd and Julie are people of faith, and that faith gives them strength as they appeal their convictions.”
It added: “Their trial was marred by serious and repeated errors. Based on these issues, we are optimistic about the road ahead.”
Now the Chrisleys have spoken out for the first time since finding out their fate on 21 November, saying on the Chrisley Confessions podcast that they are making the most of their time.
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Reading a quote from author Priscilla Shirer, Julie, 49, said: “Age is just a number, and since we don’t know our death date, we have to live every day as if it’s our last.”
Todd, 53, then said: “Yesterday doesn’t matter. Today is what we have.
“Tomorrow belongs to God because we’re not promised tomorrow.”
Julie continued to outline the impact of the case on her kids, saying: “The difficulties I’m going through, how I handle it — they’re watching that as well.
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“If I handle it right, they’re watching; if I screw it up, they’re watching.
"And so for me as a parent, I want to try to make sure that I do it right more than I do it wrong because I know they’re watching, and I know it will prepare them for difficulties, unfortunately, that they will have later in life.”
Ahead of their sentencing, the pair also spoke about how scared they felt in another episode of their podcast, having had to wait several months to find out their prison terms.
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Julie said: “I know in my heart that I am a Christian. I know I believe that God can work miracles … but I still have this fear.”
She also admitted that she is ‘living through a nightmare’.
Meanwhile, her husband went on to to argue that the pair haven’t seen 'justice’ through their conviction, but said that he believed that God is ‘going to show it through his time’.
Discussing how they’ve held their marriage together through everything, Julie added: “When people go through traumatic events, a lot of times they don’t make it.
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“A lot of times the relationship falls apart because everything is stressful. There’s way added pressures, and people don’t make it.
“I’m grateful that our relationship has grown instead of falling apart.”
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Jess Hardiman