Celebrity News

Rosie O’Donnell shares a sweet snap with estranged daughter Chelsea

One year on from the day she ran away, Chelsea O’Donnell is rebuilding her relationship with her mum.
Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O’Donnell has taken to Instagram with a sweet tribute to her eldest daughter, one year since she ran away from their family home.

“Chelsea and me – what a difference a year makes #hopelives,” the 54 year old penned alongside a sweet selfie of the two.

The pair are working on mending their rift.

Last year, Rosie and her adopted daughter experienced a very public falling out resulting in the then 17-year-old being reported as missing after fleeing from her New York home.

“She left home with her six month old therapy dog named Bear… Chelsea stopped taking her medicine and is in need of medical attention,” read a post on Rosie’s site at the time.

A representative for the mother-of-five explained in a statement earlier that, “Chelsea, like millions of people, lives with mental illness.”

“It has been a difficult road for Chelsea and her family, and they just want her back safe.”

Chelsea was found by police in her boyfriend Steven Sheerer’s attic.

Police later located the teen in New Jersey at the home of her 26-year-old boyfriend, who had an arrest record that included criminal charges of heroin possession.

Upon safely discovering her missing child, the former View host couldn’t express her gratitude enough.

“Chelsea has been found and is safe in police custody – thank u all for the help and light #missingchildren,” she wrote on Twitter.

Find out more about the mother and daughter’s rocky past in the video player below. Post continues…

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But one week later, on Chelsea’s 18th birthday, their relationship took another turn.

After coming of age, the teen decided to move in with her birth mother, Deanna Micoley, who last year controversially reported that the Emmy winner took advantage of her drug addiction when it came to her decision to put Chelsea up for adoption in 1997.

“I believe Rosie O’Donnell knew that I was in no condition to sign away my parental rights to my daughter” she told the National Enquirer, adding that she believed Rosie “stole” her daughter Kayla, which was allegedly her name at the time.

“She did the worst thing one woman can do to another woman — take her child.”

“Chelsea made a decision when she turned 18 that she wanted to go to her birth mother,” Rosie’s publicist told E! News at the time. “This was her choice.”

After a tumultuous period that followed, the pair reunited publicly in June of this year at a charity event hosted by the one and only Fran Drescher.

And now, with the sweet new selfie, it would seem that these two are finally ready to move forward from their rocky past.

One day at a time.

Chelsea pictured with mum Rosie and sister Vivienne back in June.

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