Jenna Dewan Reflects on ‘Moving Forward from Tragedy’ After the Death of Her Friend ‘tWitch’ Boss

On Friday, the actress and dancer attended the National Alliance of Mental Illness Westside Los Angeles annual gala. At the event, she presented the Heart of a Champion award to Allison Holker Boss, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss’ wife, and their daughter Weslie.

Moving Forward

@enews

Husband, father, and friend. 🤍 Stephen “tWitch” Boss is remembered by his loved ones—link in bio.

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Dewan, who was presenting the award with Derek Hough, spoke to PEOPLE on the event’s red carpet about why it was important for her to be part of the day to show her support.

“This is incredible, to have the moment to share in his love, light, and legacy. And being here to support Allison and their family I’ve known for so many years. They are truly the absolute best, biggest-hearted [people]. They take care of everybody else,” she shared.

“I just think being here to help support her and her family and moving forward from tragedy and also supporting his legacy and his love and light and what he did for the world,” she continued. “You saw how everybody really felt this and felt him and he touched so many people. So to be able to be here and honor that is really important to me,” she added.

Dewan spoke on Stephen’s legacy, adding “I do think his legacy already is love, light, bringing his incredible grace.”

“I think there was an uplifting energy that he gave to other people, and I think if there’s any lesson or anything we take home from this, it is what you present is not always what is the full picture,” she continued. “I hope people can see that you can struggle and be strong, and being strong doesn’t mean you don’t struggle. I think that is important to highlight that tonight.”

Speaking Up

In December 2022, Boss, 40, sadly died by suicide. His death caused many people to speak out about mental health.

“I have a lot of mental health issues in my family and our history. And so I’ve seen family members of mine struggle. I’ve seen a lot of shame around it. I’ve seen a lot of not wanting to comport or accept the help that is needed,” Dewan told PEOPLE. “That needs to change. We need to discuss it more. It needs to be something that is openly okay to discuss, to get help for. And I think that talking about it is really one of the main ways to do it.”

Read More: Allison Holker Boss Announces Her Children’s Book  With Late Husband tWitch (rare.us)