Criscilla Anderson, a former Dallas Cowboys Cowboys Cheerleaders choreographer and ex-wife of country singer Coffey Anderson, has died of colon cancer at 45.
Anderson, who starred in Netflix’s 2020 reality show “Country Ever After” with Coffey, died on Tuesday, Dec. 2 after battling the disease since 2019.
The choreographer revealed her own death in an Instagram post shared by her friend, Lindsey Villatoro.
“If you’re reading this, I’ve finally slipped into the arms of Jesus — peacefully and surrounded by love,” the post read. “Please don’t stay in the darkness of this moment. I fought hard and I loved deeply. I am not gone… I’m Home.”
Following her death, Coffey — who wed Criscilla in 2009, before filing for divorce in 2022 —paid tribute to her in a touching Instagram post.
“Criscilla defined strength and fighter like no other person on the planet. Heaven gained a star today,” the musician wrote.
“We miss you already. Our hearts are shattered. Our minds are jumbled. Our lives will never be the same,” he continued. “The house is quieter because you’re missing. The babies are resilient and strong as ever. We did good with them. So, dance your heart out on the beach in heaven. No more pain, no colostomy bag, no more neuropathy, no chemo, or radiation and you can eat as much dessert as you want with no calories. I’m glad you get to meet the two babies we lost… 😭I love you more.”
Criscilla was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018, but was in remission since 2021, E! News reported. Her cancer returned in 2022.
“The thing with cancer is that the chances of it returning are very, very high,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “That’s why it’s always been important for me to not only celebrate all the victories, but prepare my mind for a bad scan, which takes us right back to the drawing board. It’s almost like I have to treat the cancer like a chronic disease.”
In November, Villatoro revealed her friend’s cancer was terminal, and called on her community for support.
“We are speaking life into her, and I ask that you do nothing less. Cover this mama in hope. She knows the risks, and she’s willing to face every single one of them for more time with her babies. That is who she is — a protector, a warrior, and a mama who will walk through fire for her children,” Villatoro wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 15.
Criscilla addressed her and Coffey’s kids in her post announcing her death. The couple share a son Ethan, 14, daughters Emmarie, 12, and Everleigh, 9, as well as step-daughter Savannah, 17, from Coffey’s prior relationship.
“My babies… I am watching over you. When a moment feels warm, familiar, or too beautiful to be coincidence — that’s me. I’m still mothering you. I’m still yours,” she wrote.
Criscilla also thanked her “circle of women” for “holding me when I couldn’t stand, wiping my tears, taking me to appointments, and making me laugh.”
She called Villatoro “the best photographer on the planet” and thanked her “for capturing my life so beautifully year after year.”
“No more Photoshop, sis — Jesus just gave this girl wings!,” Criscilla concluded. “Be gentle with each other. Hold my children close. And remember: heaven isn’t as far away as it feels. I love you all.”
