Fans of “The Bachelor” met Grant Ellis’s family, including his mother and father, during the first episode of Ellis’s season.
But he’s opened up before about family, especially his father’s struggles with addiction. Ellis has kept a lot of his private life to himself, though; for example, he hasn’t posted about his family on his Instagram page.
During the first episode, Ellis’s father Robert, mother Renee, sister Taylor, and grandmother Corine appeared. However, according to Parade, Corine has since passed away.
Grant Ellis Says His Grandma Corine Was ‘Really Important to the Family’
According to her obituary on Broussards, Corine Frank Russell, 82, of Sour Lake, “died Sunday, November 3, 2024. She was born on November 27, 1941, in Kinder, Louisiana, to Madella Griffin Horne and Arthur Lee Rocquemore.” Sour Lake is in Texas.
The obit sketches out Ellis’s family tree.
“Survivors include her husband, Clarence Russell; children, Effie Owens and Renee Taylor and her husband, Tony; grandchildren, Jennifer Russell, Taylor Ellis, Grant Ellis, Gary Owens, Bryce Russell, Destinee Russell, and Emree Russell; and great-grandson, Elijah Russell,” the obit says.
Grant gave his grandma his first impression rose, saying, according to Parade, “It’s my job as ‘The Bachelor’ to give out roses. And this is the first rose I’m ever going to give out. And this just signifies how much I love you as my grandma. You’ll always be my first impression rose, grandma. I love you.” She responded that she loved him too.
He told Parade, “My grandmother was really important to my family.” He said her dying was “very unfortunate. But that’s the process of life. And you know something? She taught me things that are always going to stick with me. And one day, I’m not going to be around, and hopefully, I’m going to have a kid who will look back and say, ‘My dad taught me things.’ And that’s what’s going to live on.”
Grant Ellis’s Dad Has Struggled With Addiction, Something He Speaks About Openly
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellis’s mom first signed him up for the “Bachelor” franchise.
His parents “divorced when he was in college,” THR reported, quoting him as saying, “It was tough. I’ve learned from their relationship a lot.”
According to THR, Ellis revealed that his dad “has been in recovery from addiction for 30 years,” quoting him as saying, “His sobriety and my journey finding love, it’s a blessing.”
Basketball – which he played in college and professionally in the Dominican Republic – was his way of escaping when his parents argued, THR reported. “It was my escape,” he said, according to THR.
“The only people that I owe any responsibility to make proud is myself and my family, especially when it comes to love or how I handle myself,” he said during the first episode, according to THR.
