I'm trolled for leaving my husband after he ended up in a wheelchair – he's in a care home while I'm remarried with kids
But her life soon turned upside down at the age of 23, when she got a phone call on her way to work.
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Her husband, Brandon Smith, had been involved in a car accident and by the time she arrived at the hospital, he was already in a coma.
When he woke up two months later, the Brandon she knew was gone.
Brandon woke up with post-traumatic amnesia and now needed constant care.
The pair, from Texas, had both planned to start a family after getting married at the age of 22, but those plans were now unachievable.
"His memory, which really he's never fully gotten out of...was like 10 seconds long. This is when it really became clear that I went from being a wife to a caregiver," Kris told CBS.
"When someone has a severe traumatic brain injury in a big way, you lose that person, but you gain somebody new," she said.
"And it took me a long time to realise that."
Kris decided to quit her job and become Brandon's full time carer, even changing jobs to become a speech pathologist to help them communicate.
But after years of trying, it was clear that the severity of Brandon's injuries meant their relationship had changed and Kris filed for divorce to become his legal guardian instead.
"I had made vows that I would be with him in sickness and health, and I took that very seriously," Armstrong said.
"I didn't stay married to him, but I wanted to take care of him."
Kris took care of all of his appointments, his health insurance and financial matters and vowed to be there for the rest of their lives.
In a TikTok clip, Kris revealed that she soon 'drowned' as she tried to keep up with Brandon's care needs.
Despite having a huge support group, it became too much and Kris had to make the painful decision to place Brandon into a care home.
Kris was by his side the whole time, even in 2014, when Kris met her now-husband James Armstrong, she kept her promise.
She told James about the situation and he was fully onboard with having Brandon in their lives as well.
When the pair first met, Brandon even asked James if they could have a beer together, helping to solidify their bond.
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FAMILY FOR LIFE
Now, Kris and James are married with small kids, and also look after Brandon and keep him included in the family.
A recent TikTok video saw Kris pick up Brandon so he could celebrate her 41st birthday with them.
In the clip, Kris takes Brandon out to lunch, assisting him with eating and drinking, and later shares cake with him back at home.
At one moment in the video, Kris shares a sweet clip of James, who can be seen hugging Brandon and giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks for hanging out with me on my birthday," Kris says to Brandon, who responds in kind by mouthing "I love you" back.
But despite Kris' determination to keep Brandon in her life over the last 16 years since his accident, trolls cruelly slam her for divorcing him in the first place.
One wrote: "She divorced him when he got into the accident. Let's not pretend she's a saint please. He has to watch her with her new husband and children after she abandoned their marriage because it didn't suit her."
Another penned: "Through sickness and health… but you divorced him and put him in a home."
"He's looking at you like he wants you everyday. So sad when people leave their spouse when illness hits," commented a third.
In the past, Kris and Brandon have addressed the negative comments, saying they'd rather share it and help others in similar situations than keep it bottled up.
Kris wrote: "We can choose to bottle up what we go through in fear of being judged but then we don't get the beautiful benefit of community."
Where to seek grief support
Need professional help with grief?
Child Bereavement UK Childbereavementuk.org
Cruse Bereavement Cruse.org.uk
Relate Relate.org.uk
The Good Grief Trust Thegoodgrieftrust.org
You can also always speak to your GP if you're struggling.
You're Not Alone
Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief…
Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians on this award-winning podcast.
The Madness Of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly on losing his husband David to alcoholism.
Terrible, Thanks For Asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebs to share how they're really feeling.
Good Mourning by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who've suffered sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums.
Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert tips.
How To Grieve Like A Champ by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): A book for improving your relationship with death.
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Instead, she was born with naturally light blonde locks, which seemed to puzzle casting agents. She explained that she was asked to dye her hair darker when she got the role of Cici, a spitfire cocktail waitress, in 2003 film Chasing Papi. Sofia, 53, told Parade in July 2011: 'I'm a natural blonde, like my siblings. 'When I started auditioning for American acting roles, they didn't know where to put me. A blonde Latina? 'In LA, they're used to Latin women looking more Mexican. But if you go to Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, everybody is blonde.' Gwen Stefani Gwen Stefani, 55, came onto the music scene with bright blonde hair, as part of the band No Doubt who scored hits such as It's My Life and Hella Good in the early noughties It's challenging to think of a time when Gwen did not have platinum tresses Gwen Stefani, 55, came onto the music scene as part of the band No Doubt, with hits such as It's My Life and Hella Good in the early noughties. She is now known for her bright blonde, and it's challenging to think of a time when she did not have platinum tresses. However, while Gwen has made her golden strands part of her signature image, lovers of the singer were amazed to find out that she was actually born a dark brunette. She posted an old image of her as a brunette baby on her father's lap on Father's Day back in 2014 and many of the comments were from astonished fans who said: 'So you weren't actually blonde?!' Gwen posted an old image of her as a brunette baby on her father's lap on Father's Day back in 2014, which showed her with brunette hair Gwen actually sported a shade more similar to her hereditary colour in her Cool music video, where she plays a girl with wavy brown hair Her hairstylist Danilo Dixon previously told Refinery29 that he actually colours her hair every single week to keep her dark roots at bay with a bleach-free formula that he whipped up just for Gwen. 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Olivia told Into The Gloss: 'After that I was blonde for a long time; I've been bleached platinum blonde, I've been dark blonde, I've had black hair, I've had dark red hair… I feel like I've actually done every single colour, and somehow my hair hasn't fallen out. 'Now, I only change it for work. I try to give it a rest, otherwise, but it still changes a lot. It's been, like, five colours in 2012.' However, Olivia told the outlet that despite being a blonde by birth, she feels 'more like a brunette'. She added: 'I spent the first couple years of my career as a very blonde blonde. And then I went brunette for a role, and suddenly all my offers changed - the types of roles people approached me with totally changed.' Olivia said that she would get roles as 'the pretty girl' or 'the sexy hot chick' when she was blonde. However, when she dyed her hair darker, people would approach her for role as 'doctor' or 'a waitress with a heart of gold'.
