Kelly Rizzo on Bob Saget's Daughters' Latest 'Vote of Confidence' That Late Comic Would Be 'Proud' (Exclusive)
The 'Special Forces: World's Toughest Test' recruit told PEOPLE how being on the reality show made her realize "you're stronger than you ever thought you could be"
Kevin Winter/Getty
Kelly Rizzo attends the red carpet for Fox's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" on Sept. 12, 2023 in Los AngelesBefore Kelly Rizzo joined Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, she sought out the advice of Bob Saget's daughters.
Rizzo, 44, says she has remained close with her late husband's daughters — Aubrey, 36, Lara, 33, and Jennifer, 30 — since the Full House star died from head trauma at the age of 65 in January 2022.
They text or talk every day, so Rizzo knew she also had to ask them for their input before she agreed to join the Fox series.
"I'm like, 'You guys are okay with me doing this right?'" she told PEOPLE at a Los Angeles press event for Special Forces on Tuesday. "And they're like, 'Yeah, it looks cool.' And I was like, 'You think your dad would be okay with me doing this? Right?' And they're like, 'Yeah, we think he'd be proud. He'd think you're crazy, but we think he'd be proud.'"
"So getting that vote of confidence from them too really helped me make the decision," she added.
Rizzo and Saget met in 2015 and wed in 2018. Following the actor's sudden death, Rizzo understandably went through a period of mourning for her husband.
Although she decided to sell the Los Angeles home they shared more than a year after Saget's death, Rizzo has kept his legacy alive — recently getting a martini glass tattoo to honor Saget's love for the popular cocktail.
She's also commemorated his life on social media and honored Saget with a poignant tribute onstage at The Comedy Store in January 2022.
By the time production started on the second season of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, Rizzo said she felt she was "in a really good place."
"I feel like I might not have done it if I was still in a very bad place, but I mean, I was in a good place from pretty early on, because I've just been filled with so much gratitude," said Rizzo, adding that Saget's daughters were vital to the healing process. "There's no way I would be doing as well as I am if it wasn't for them. And vice versa, I think, too."
Rizzo joins a cast that also includes Bode Miller, Brian Austin Green, Jack Osbourne, JoJo Siwa, Savannah Chrisley, Tara Reid, Tom Sandoval and Tyler Cameron.
The challenges they face are some of the most grueling challenges from the playbook of the real-life Special Forces selection process. "Like, hey, carry this boulder around for an hour," Rizzo hinted.
The only way to quit the show is by getting injured or by being forced out by the production crew.
While season 1 was filmed in and around the treacherous Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, the upcoming season was shot on the icy mountains of New Zealand.
As difficult as the experience was, Rizzo called it a "once in a lifetime" experience that made her realize "you're stronger than you ever thought you could be."
"When you get an opportunity that you know is once in a lifetime, and to get to train and work with some of the most incredible elite forces in the world, you just don't pass it up," she said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 2 premieres Monday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
Solve the daily Crossword
