"It didn't even hit me until about 30 minutes before her car was about to come," Teigen said reflecting on her mother's move to Thailand. "I had not shed a tear. I was really excited for her, and then I heard, '30 minutes until your car gets here and then I just lost it."
Chrissy Teigen is getting candid about how her life has changed since her mom, Vilailuck Teigen, moved back to Thailand.
While appearing on The Happy Hour on SiriusXM Wednesday to promote her new food show with celebrity chef, David Chang, the model and mom revealed that Vilailuck, or Pepper, as she's more commonly known, decided to move back to her home village of Korat.
"We haven't really told the world or the internet, and everyone's gonna be probably so confused," Chrissy shared. "She is meant to go live her best life."
While Chrissy said that her mom loves taking care of her and husband John Legend's four children -- Luna, 7, Miles, 5, Esti 1, and Wren, 7 months -- she said the 62-year-old still has a lot of life to live and should go live it.
The Cravings author also shared that the family of six plans to visit Pepper "every spring break," and added that she explained to her children that their time with their grandmother in the future will "be really special."
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"But yeah, we miss her. So much. She's only been gone for a couple of weeks, but you feel the void," Chrissy added.
Chrissy explained that it was her mother's decision to move back to Thailand, noting that Pepper's strong bond with her group of friends back home played a role. "She just changes; she lights up when she sees them, and I wasn't seeing her light up as much without them," she said.
While Pepper told her daughter she only cares about "her grandbabies and her friends," Chrissy said that she's encouraged her mom "to go find love and find whatever it is she wants."
Pepper's departure also marked the first time Chrissy said she's really been on her own.
"Also I truly haven't really been on my own," she confessed. "It's weird waking up and going, 'Oh my God, I got four kids, and mom's not here.' And, of course, we have help, but there's nobody like your mother."
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View StoryWhile Chrissy said she was fully supportive of her mother's decision to move back to Thailand, the reality of it didn't hit her until 30 minutes before her mom was set to leave, sending the TV personality into a full on meltdown.
"I had not shed a tear. I was really excited for her," she recalled. "And then I heard '30 minutes 'til your car gets here' and then I just lost it."
The void that now exists in her mother's absence has made Chrissy begin to think about all the special "little things" her mom used to do for her and her family, from spicing up their meals to just being around when she needed her.
"I believe that there's a spiritual and physical connection [with mothers]. And I felt it in my bones when she left, I really did," Chrissy said.
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She added, "It's gonna be great. And the kids are gonna be so excited to see her, and when we go to Thailand... she lives for those moments getting to show off a country that she's so proud of."
Pepper has shared some of her adventures since returning home, including a few pics with her girl group, as she enjoys cooking up some Thai specialties and outings at a waterside café.
For more on the Teigen family, check out the gallery below.