Kelly Rizzo, who was married to the late Bob Saget, shares the advice she’d give the “Friends” cast on how to grieve after the sudden death of their co-star, Matthew Perry.
“I would just say that, you know, hold on to each other tight and be appreciative of the fact that you have such amazing people that that you’re surrounded by,” she exclusively tells Pvnew.
Rizzo explains that she sees “such parallels” between the “Friends” cast and the “Full House” cast in their level of closeness.
“I’m sure that they’re really going through it right now, because the ‘Full House’ cast did the same. Like, they were really a family, and the ‘Friends’ cast, from what I know was like really, really, truly a family as well,” she says.
The “Special Forces” star recalls it being “really special to witness everybody really coming together” after Saget’s death.
“And the fact that, you know, oh, it’s [the] ‘Full House’ cast, the ‘Friends’ cast, like that all goes away, and it’s just your family members are in the room together. I can only imagine that they’re all comforting each other and there for each other, and I know that’s what helped me get through it,” she says.
Rizzo, 44, recalls that some of the people who helped her the most after Saget’s loss were his “Full House” co-stars who were immediately by her side.
“They were so tremendous in helping me get through it, and I’m assuming it’s the same with with them,” she says of the “Friends” cast.
Perry’s five “Friends” co-stars initially released a joint statement on Oct. 30 expressing how “utterly devastated” they felt after he was found dead in his hot tub from an apparent drowning on Oct. 28.
“We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc said in a statement to People at the time. “In time we will say more, as and when we are able.”
Over the past two days, nearly all of the cast members from the popular NBC sitcom have released individual statements mourning their friend.
“Oh boy this one has cut deep… Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,” Aniston captioned a series of photos and videos of them together on Wednesday.
Schwimmer raved about how “generous” Perry was, LeBlanc said “it was an honor” to both work with him and be his friend and Cox expressed how she was “grateful for every moment” with him.
Meanwhile, Rizzo lost Saget nearly two years ago on Jan. 9, 2021 after he suffered head trauma and fell asleep in a Florida hotel room.
“Nobody has forgotten Bob yet, and I don’t think [they] ever will,” she says of keeping his legacy alive. “It’s been so special to see all the continued love for Bob.”
Saget’s passing resulted in Rizzo wanting to challenge herself, so she joined the cast of Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” — a show where celebrities voluntarily take on intense training exercises designed by former Special Forces operatives — for Season 2.
“At the time [of filming], it was like a year-and-a-half since losing Bob. Everyone was telling me all the time, like, ‘You’re so strong, you’re so strong, you’re so strong,’ and I didn’t feel strong. I just I was like, ‘I’m just doing what I need to do, which just living life,'” she recalls.
“But then when you hear that so many times, you’re like, ‘Maybe I am really strong.’ Like, maybe all these people who love me and care about me have a point. So I knew physically I was pretty capable, but I was like, mentally, can I do this? And so I was like, ‘Let’s put it to the test,'” she continues.
Rizzo outlasted several of her co-stars – including basketball player Robert Horry and wide receiver Dez Bryant – but she ultimately withdrew because of a knee injury on the fourth day.
She has since kept busy preparing episodes for her upcoming podcast, “Comfort Food with Kelly Rizzo,” where she interviews several guests about topics of loss, grief or challenges they’ve faced while enjoying the guest’s favorite comfort food.
“Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
