Vanessa Williams misses her mother 'tremendously'
The 62-year-old star was left heartbroken when her mother Helen passed away aged 85 last December whilst on a trip to London to see her daughter perform in The Devil Wears Prada musical on the West End and explained that she was the figure who made the biggest impact on her life.
Speaking to Stylist magazine, Vanessa said: "Not only did she make a huge impression on me, but she influenced so many of the people she taught as a school teacher. She was an absolute force and I miss her tremendously."
The singer and actress had to resign as Miss America in 1984 after nude photos of her were published in Penthouse magazine and felt that the scandal gave her an "immediate jump" into adulthood.
The Ugly Betty star said: "In 1984, aged 21, I resigned as Miss America.
"I'm working on a documentary to explore every angle of it, but it was an immediate jump into becoming an adult."
Meanwhile, Vanessa explained that she would be happy to relive the births of her children – Melanie, 38, Jillian, 36, and Devin, 32, from her marriage to Ramon Hervey, and Sasha, 25, from her relationship with second husband Rick Fox – as giving birth was the "best gift" of her life.
Asked if she could experience one day in her life again, the Colors of the Wind singer said: "It's tough because every time I gave birth was the best gift I've ever had.
"So I would say those four days – the opportunities to give life have been incredible."
Vanessa says she is concerned about the current political climate in the US as "freedom and justice" are under threat.
She explained: "I turn on the news and watch liberties being taken away from US citizens on a daily basis: it's scary."
However, Williams is confident that the power of the "human spirit" can help the world overcome its current challenges.
The Desperate Housewives star said: "Despite the chaos and tumult happening worldwide, it never stops the human spirit for peace, humanity, ease and community. That's what we have to remember: love is number one."
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Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query. What Are Today's Connections Hints? Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today's Connections groups, I'll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today's 16 words are... And the hints for today's Connections groups are: One Word For Each Connections Group Need some extra help? Be warned: we're starting to get into spoiler territory. Let's take a look at one word for each group. Today's Connections word hints are… What Are Today's Connections Groups? Today's Connections groups are... What Are Today's Connections Answers? Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today's Connections answers are... Aw man, I thought I was off to a quick start by grouping together FOLD, CHECK, DEAL and CALL. I figured RAISE would go with promotion. But no. I was caught in a trap, like the fool that I sometimes am. I was one away from a group, though, so I was onto something. Then I realized that it was actually DEAL that would go with PROMOTION, as well as SPECIAL and SALE. That got me the yellows. RAISE then went with the rest of the blues. I thought those would be the greens. After that, I suspected that BUG and NETTLE might go together in a group of things that sting. STEAM and FIST (as in a stinging blow) made sense, but I was one away from a group. I swapped out STEAM for IRON, but that was wrong. Not close to a group there. After a long, long break to clear my mind and try to keep my streak intact, I came back to the puzzle with fresh eyes. I realized that BRAKES and IRON (as in lifting weights) are both things you can pump. FIST and GAS made sense with those and I had the purples. 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Call someone you love! Please follow my blog for more coverage of NYT Connections and other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Sharing this column with other people who play Connections would be appreciated too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my new newsletter, Pastimes.
