Allison Holker opens up for the first time after the death of husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss
Allison Holker, the widow of Stephen “tWitch” Boss is speaking out for the first time since her husband’s death by suicide last December.
She’s hoping to raise awareness about mental health and “hopefully to make people feel comfortable asking for help.” The interview with Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb is timed to coincide with the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month. Earlier this year, Allison launched the Move with Kindness Foundation in honor of tWitch.
“What I really love is to bring awareness to mental health, opening up conversations and hopefully make people comfortable asking for help,” she said.
“He really wanted to be everyone’s superman”
“It’s honestly something I don’t wish for anybody but if I’ve learned anything it is that communication is key,” she said. “For us, daddy is in the stars so we can go out and talk to him anytime we want.” She added that her two youngest children aged 7 and 3 still wonder when their father is coming back. “Will he come back when he’s older?” they ask.
“He wanted to be the strong one for everybody,” Allison, who met tWitch in 2010 on the So You Think You Can Dance FOX competition said, “I think that was a little scary for him to think that he might need to ask for help.” She added, “People say a lot, like what were the signs.” But there were no discernable signs that her husband was struggling inside. “He was so much love and light. He really wanted to be everyone’s superman. He said that a lot.”
“I’m still shocked,” Allison confesses regarding tWitch’s suicide at age 40. “There’s no one who saw this coming. That also breaks my heart too.”
In an interview with People magazine, Allison said, “Stephen brought so much joy to this world, and he deserves to be remembered as the beautiful man he was.”
If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
