Newly engaged Roxanne Pallett 'sees the power of prayer' after CBB punch-gate

Roxanne Pallett claims she has ‘seen the power of prayer’ as she heaped praise on her Roxanne Pallett claims she has ‘seen the power of prayer’ as she heaped praise on her fiancé Jason Carrion.

The former Emmerdale actress got engaged to New York firefighter Jason Carrion in October, and spent Thanksgiving with her husband to be in the Big Apple.

And in honour of the holiday, Roxanne reflected on the ‘tough times’ she has weathered – alluding to Celebrity Big Brother ‘punch-gate’, when she falsely accused Ryan Thomas of hitting her.

The 36-year-old shared a picture of herself planting a kiss on Jason’s cheek in front of the Verrazano Bridge, and wrote a lengthy Instagram caption explaining her struggles.

Roxanne wrote: ‘It’s Thanksgiving here in America & I want to share something with you all. This time last year, I was in my scruffs, sobbing into a bowl of mac n cheese, having not showered for days. Then my mam (picture Sally Field in Steel Magnolias) gave me some tough love & told me to start counting my blessings instead of licking my wounds & dwelling on disappointments.

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‘She told me to notice the people that were there & holding me up, not the ones who had left & knocked me down. She told me that I had a lot to be thankful for & she was right. (She’s always right!) The next day I began to practice gratitude. I’ve never been majorly religious but I can now say I’ve seen the power of prayer. I’d close my eyes & list the things I was lucky to have. My health being the first & foremost as it’s something we do all take for granted at times.

‘I thanked God for my mam & aunty, for my home, for the friends who were by my side, for all of the beautiful moments I’ve had in my life. I prayed with gratitude but didn’t ask for anything, I just created a storyboard of blessings in my mind, things I had lost sight of.’

The actress continued: ‘As I began to realise how lucky I actually was, the tough times that had broken me soon faded into the background. I began to see my life change shape for the better. A day at a time. It was almost like the moment I looked for the good, it actually blossomed into a better view from where I was standing.

‘A year on as I write this, so much has changed, within me & around me. My mind-frame more than anything & my ability to recognise how lucky I am. I’m more stronger now than ever & yet I’m softer too. I see now that it’s possible to be both!

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‘To anyone who is in the midst of their darkness right now, I promise you, with the right thought process you can & will come through it, as I have. Just find little blessings in every day & let those overshadow the difficulties.

‘To those who never gave up on me, I’m so grateful for you in my corner.

‘And to my incredible man @bklynbad who saw my fire & ran towards it not away from it, thank you for loving me. ❤️ #happythanksgiving.’

Jason commented: ‘Love you Roxx’, before paying tribute to his bride-to-be on his own Instagram page.

He wrote: ‘It’s hard to put into words how thankful I am this Thanksgiving. This time of year used to be incredibly hard for me, now I look forward to bringing in some amazing new memories ❤️. I know my mom is looking down on me and smiling at the man that I’ve become and can see her son is truly happy.’

Roxanne also continued her lovey-dovey sharing by showing off her whopper engagement ring on her Instagram stories.

It was revealed in August that Roxanne was living in the US and dating Jason, seven months after she was dumped by her fiancé Lee Walton.

Jason is a firefighter who appeared on the US edition of Married At First Sight in 2014, when he married Cortney Hendrix, but they filed for divorce in February this year after a six month separation.

The engagement comes just over a year after Roxanne sparked one of the biggest controversies in Big Brother history.

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The TV star accused former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas of punching her ‘repeatedly, intentionally and aggressively’ during a play fight, and went to the diary room to tell producers that she did not feel safe.

However, after she left the CBB house of her own accord, Roxanne admitted that she ‘got it wrong’, saying: ‘I massively apologise to not only Ryan, but his friends, his family, his fans, every single person who watched that and who justifiably saw an overreaction to what wasn’t a malicious act. Because I am sensitive, I mistook what was playful.

‘There was no malicious intention behind that, and that is what I apologise for because I shouldn’t have questioned his motivation. I got it wrong.’

Pallett this year revealed that she considered taking her own life following the backlash, which saw her dropped from a radio job and a panto role.

Ryan went on to win CBB, and he is expecting a baby with partner Lucy Mecklenburgh.

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