Terrina Chrishell Stause (born July 21, 1981) is an American actress, television personality, and real estate agent. She began her career playing the role of Amanda Dillon in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children (2005–2011). From 2013 to 2015, she starred as Jordan Ridgeway in the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives and later returned to the soap on a recurring basis. For this role, Stause received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2020. In 2019, Stause began starring in the Netflix reality series Selling Sunset.
Contents
Early life
Stause was born on July 21, 1981 in Draffenville, Kentucky. She attended Murray State University, from which she received her B.A. in theater in 2003. Her middle name "Chrishell" is a portmanteau word created based on the unusual circumstances of her birth. Many claim that her mother went into labor at a Shell station, and an attendant named Chris helped deliver the baby. However, in her book, Stause denies parts of this, mentioning that her mother had car troubles and pulled into a gas station. While waiting, she went into pre-labor and the attendant genuinely helped her to reach a hospital, where Stause was born. Before knowing that she was pregnant, her mother broke up with Chrishell's biological father, who was half Japanese and half Spanish. Jeff was her stepfather.
Stause missed a full year of middle school because she was forced to live in a tent. At that time, Stause mentioned washing her hair in the river, using food stamps and hiding her life from classmates. Her parents "struggled with addiction and mental health" and for a period joined the Worldwide Church of God when she was 10 years old. Her mother never had a steady job and Stause describes her as free spirited and self-righteous.
Career
In 2005, Stause was cast as Amanda Dillon in the ABC daytime soap opera, All My Children, a role she began on May 4, 2005, when the character returned to Pine Valley after a five-year absence. The role of Amanda was previously portrayed by Alexis Manta. During her time on soap, Stause also acted in the independent films Scaring the Fish (2008) and The Crimson Mask (2009). The soap was cancelled and ended on September 23, 2011. Following cancellation, Stause made her prime time television debut guest starring in the second season of the ABC crime comedy-drama series, Body of Proof. She was a member of improvisational troupe The Groundlings in Los Angeles.
In April 2013, it was announced that Stause had joined the cast of NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Her character, Jordan Ridgeway, first appeared in Salem on August 15, 2013. On October 24, 2014, it was announced that Stause would be leaving the series in 2015.
In 2018, it was announced that Stause was reprising the role and would begin airing in February 2019. The character exited on November 11, 2019, and Stause briefly reprised the role during guest appearances on March 4 and July 20, 2020, and also on May 24–25, 2021. At the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards, Stause received nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series.
In 2015, Stause guest-starred in the ABC prime time soapy drama series, Mistresses, and starred opposite Justin Hartley in the romantic comedy film, Another Time. From 2015 to 2016 she starred in the web-series, Youthful Daze. In April 2016, it was announced that Stause would be joining the cast of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Bethany Bryant, debuting in late May. She last appeared on August 17, 2016. The following year she was cast in her first film leading role, in the thriller Eve of Abduction.
In addition to her acting career, Stause is also a real estate agent. Her work is showcased in Selling Sunset, a Netflix reality television show focused on The Oppenheim Group, a real estate brokerage dealing in luxury homes in L.A. In 2022 she received MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Reality Star.
In 2019, Stause played the lead in the thriller film Staged Killer for Lifetime. On September 2, 2020, Stause was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was eliminated in the eighth week of competition, getting to eighth place. In 2023, Stause returned to Lifetime with the leading roles in A Rose for Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story and You're Not Supposed to Be Here.
Personal life
Stause was engaged to Matthew Morrison from December 9, 2006, to 2007.
In January 2014, it was confirmed that Stause and Justin Hartley were dating and the couple announced their engagement in July 2016. The couple married in July 2017. In November 2019, Hartley filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Stause alleged that Hartley had let her know about the divorce by text only 45 minutes before the media broke the news. She filed for dissolution of marriage in December 2019 and disagreed with the July 8 separation date previously listed by Hartley. The divorce was finalized on February 22, 2021. She subsequently started dating Dancing with the Stars dancer Keo Motsepe from December 2020 to February 2021.
She announced via Instagram in July 2021 she had begun a romantic relationship with Selling Sunset co-star and boss Jason Oppenheim, which ended in December of the same year.
In May 2022, Stause confirmed a relationship with Australian musician Georgia Flipo, better known as G Flip. The couple started dating in March and secretly got married in Las Vegas in July of that same year. They did not share the news of their nuptials until May 2023. In July 2023, on their first anniversary, Chrishell and G Flip held another ceremony in Palm Springs. The couple shared that they plan to have a wedding every year on their anniversary. The couple announced their separation in October 2026.
Both of Stause's parents died from lung cancer between 2019 and 2020. Stause has four sisters. Her oldest sister, Shonda, appeared on seasons 1, 3, 5 and 7 of Selling Sunset and resides in St. Louis.