After six years and a lot of heartbreak, Kelly Rutherford is finally getting to bring her children, Hermes, 8, and Helena, 6, home. On Friday May 22, a California judge granted the Gossip Girl star, 46, sole custody of her two children, TMZ reports.
Hermes and Helena have been living in France and Monaco with their father Daniel Giersch since 2012. The ruling is still considered temporary as Rutherford waits to see if it will hold up to Monaco's standards.
The California ruling only gives the actress the right to bring her children back to the U.S. during the custody battle proceedings. The on-going fight has been incredibly painful for Rutherford, who has sought support from her celebrity friends and the public.
"I know it's not right," she told Good Morning America in April. "Parents know — everyone knows it's not right. I can sit her and tell you how often I cry. I can tell you how it feels to leave my kids in a foreign country and seeing them after not seeing them for weeks on end. Not being able to bring them from school and pick them up from school, dress them, hug them, smell them."
The battle started back in 2010 when Rutherford and her German ex-husband Giersch divorced. As the pair continued to battle for custody, it was determined in December 2013 that Giersch no longer had to pay for Hermes and Helena to visit her in America.
Rutherford has since created the Children's Justice Campaign to help other parents in her situation.
Following the news that Rutherford had been granted temporary custody, Kim Kardashian, who had previously lent her voice to helping the TV star's fight, reached out in support.
"Wow!!!!! Congrats @KellyRutherford You deserve ever bit of this joy!!!! Xoxo," the reality star tweeted.
Rutherford recently rallied her celeb pals, including Ed Westwick, Matthew Settle, and Kris Jenner, who gave their support on social media.
