Blake Lively honored her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, at the Time100 Gala Thursday evening with a personal five-minute speech that revealed that McAlpin had survived an attack on her life before Lively was born.
“My life was influenced most by my mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, who’s here with me tonight, an eternal optimist who’s always leaving me messages, hoopin’ and hollerin’ sayin’, ‘Life’s just a bowl of cherries,’” Lively said, gesturing toward her mother and introducing her to the crowd. Shortly after, Lively said, “My mom never got justice from her work acquaintance who attempted to take her life when she was the mother of three young kids —
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