Jessie James Decker made sure not to forget her roots while competing on season 4 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
“It’s really hard for me to be open about personal stuff, I will say. I moved a lot growing up. I lived in 14 different places. Sometimes three different schools in one year. We were on food stamps at one point. I always had my lunches paid for by the government. You know, we didn’t have a lot early on,” Decker, 37, said in a clip shared via her Instagram on Wednesday, October 15. “I think that I’ve always wanted to strive to acceptance. I’ve never totally felt accepted and so I think that getting into my career, I’ve always felt like I had to just prove myself constantly.”
She continued, “I always felt like I would get so close and then just wouldn’t come together. I feel like I’m finally coming to a place of just letting that go. I’ve been more present in where I am at in my life and so grateful with where I am at more than I ever have and my kids are the reason why I feel that way now.”
Jessie shares children Vivianne, 11, Eric, 10, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 20 months, with husband Eric Decker, who is also competing on Special Forces this season.
“All this other stuff, I just gotta let it go and quit looking for, searching for acceptance because it doesn’t matter,” she said. “My kids accept me and my family is what matters most. I’ll just leave it at that.”
“I shared what I was comfortable with, and this alone felt vulnerable and brave for me ❤️,” Jessie captioned the upload. “Dear little Jess, we’ve come a long way.”
Several celebrities took to the comments section to praise Jessie for her vulnerability in sharing her story. Fellow Special Forces season 4 cast member Shawn Johnson East wrote, “So proud of you mama! Love you!” Season 1 winner Hannah Brown added, “@jessiejamesdecker your vulnerability is so beautiful and powerful!! 👏👏👏.”
For Jessie and Eric, 38, competing on Special Forces together this season was the perfect timing.
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“He was asked [for] season 1 and season 2,” Jessie exclusively told Us Weekly in September. “It just didn’t make sense, the timing of it all. Then they asked again this past season, but they had a different dynamic. They wanted another married couple. So he was like, ‘Come on. Let’s go do it.’”
Jessie explained that she had “never had interest in something like” Special Forces before, so it wasn’t an immediate yes for her — at least initially.
“It was just a moment of like, ‘What? Is this serious?’ But yeah. We did it,” she shared, noting that she wouldn’t have done the show without Eric. “It’s just not anything I’ve ever wanted to do. It makes sense that he wanted to do it. He’s like a big, ol’ man that likes to clearly get rough and tough.”
Special Forces airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
