Eldridge Toney is speaking out for the first time since the death of his wife, Anna Cardwell.
As The Ashley reported earlier this week, Anna passed away last Saturday after a nearly year-long battle with Stage 4 cancer. Anna’s mother, Mama June Shannon, announced the sad news Sunday on social media. While many of Anna’s family members— including June and Anna’s sisters— have spoken out about the 29-year-old’s death, Eldridge had not made any public comments about it until now.
Eldridge, whom Anna quietly married in March of this year, spoke to People on Friday, recalling the emotional final moments of his wife’s life.
“Everyone was crying and freaking out, because we all knew what was happening,” Eldridge said. “I did my best to be calm for her. I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand and told her it was going to be OK.
“I was holding her hand when she took her final breath,” he added.
Eldridge revealed that he also made a vow to Anna prior to her passing to keep her memory alive for her daughters, Kaitlyn and Kylee. (Eldridge is not the biological father of either of the girls.)
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,” Eldridge said. “Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was. And I promised I would do right by the girls always.
“I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls,” he said.
In the wake of Anna’s death, her oldest daughter, Kaitlyn, is now being cared for by June, while younger daughter, Kylee, is living with her father, Michael Cardwell, who is Anna’s ex-husband.
While Eldridge is not the biological father of either of Anna’s daughters, he plans to maintain the close relationship he has with them.
“Those are my girls,” he said. “I promised Anna I would do right by them and make sure they remembered their mama. And that is what I will do.”
Elridge spoke to the magazine about how hard it has been to go back to the now-empty home he once shared with Anna and the girls.
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“It is going to be very lonely,” he said. “It’s getting harder…
“[Anna] was the one I was supposed to grow old with,” he added. “She was my one true love, she was that for me. I will never stop loving her. There will never be another Anna.”
Eldridge and Anna began dating in 2017, after she separated from Michael Cardwell. They got married after Anna found out she had cancer, eventually getting hitched on March 4. Their wedding was reportedly filmed for the upcoming season of Mama June: Road to Redemption.
“We decided to get married after we received the Stage 4 diagnosis,” Eldridge said. “We didn’t get married because she had cancer. We just sped up the process because it was always something we planned to do.”
It was reported earlier this week that Anna wanted her fight against adrenal carcinoma documented for her family’s reality show, so she allowed a WEtv crew to film her right up until the end. The show’s production team reportedly declined the invite to film Anna’s very last moments, leaving before she died Saturday at her mother’s home.
RELATED STORY: Anna Cardwell’s Final Days Reportedly Filmed for ‘Mama June: Road to Redemption’; Film Crew With Her Hours Before Her Death
(Photos: Instagram)
They are milking her death all the way to the bank and it’s sad to see . June shouldn’t have custody of Anna’s daughter either when she couldn’t even manage to keep custody of her own child(ren). I feel sorry for those little girls. Losing their mother and then separated after she died .
Bob Geldof took his ex wife’s daughter in when she and the father of this child died. Because she was a sister of his daughters. And that is the right thing to do. You don’t separate siblings who just lost their mother.
And let me just say, Mama June told the world recently that Anna didn’t know who the father of her oldest daughter is. And June stopped her DNA testing for the father after 6 guys were tested.
Mother of the year !!
Were’s Josh? Didn’t see him in the family pic.
Maybe he or one of the children were sick?
I think the film crew made the right decision when they decided not to film her dying breath. I have to give them props for that.
How disgusting that June continues to profit off the kids she failed to protect. Anna was MOLESTED BY JUNES BF!!! June believed him and threw Anna out at 8-9 to live with her grandma… then her man got caught doing it again and went to prison… fast-forward about 10 years honey boo-boo shows up and they lose their TV show because Darrell mama June is in a hotel room with that same guy who just got out of prison and honey boo-boo stayed alone with him….. now she has Kaitlyn dear God, what is wrong with child protective services in the state?!?! Wtf!?! Someone stop this abomination of a woman from continuing her toxic relationships with children. And pumpkin needs to wake up before she repeats the same mistakes with her own children who she can’t stop breeding long enough to actually financially afford!
Pumpkin biological father is a registered sex offender also.
Anna wanted that to raise awareness DUMBASS…part of cancer is unfortunately a final breath MOST OF THE TIME!!!
I’m glad this is out there…especially for her daughters because in 20 years when they unfortunately forgotten their mother’s laughter and voice they’ll have that footage abd it will also remind them of what their mama went through FOR THEM!!
She didn’t have to undergo treatment but she wanted to be around as long as she could for her girls!!
Could this family be any more pathetic? Yes, it’s a tragedy that she died. But normal people do not go around constantly putting their “story” out there publicly when they are going through this horrible time. Yes they were on a tv show, but they weren’t some wonderful, admirable family that the whole world watched. This family seems to want to cling to their so called fame by exploiting Anna and her daughters! Totally trashy behavior. Makes me wonder which family member will be the next one to “put their story of suffering” out there for the papers and magazines.
When the show is called “Mama June: Road to Redemption” it stands to reason that they’d put their “story” out their…its called a “Road to Redemption” for a reason.
If it was all good…then you wouldn’t need a “Road to redemption” now would you?
That’s all fine and good, but it’s not like the whole world isn’t aware of what kind of people these are. The blatant show of publicity hounding during the death of their family member is pathetic.
Anna wanted this journey filmed.
It’s important for viewers to see that everything is not always peaches and cream for everyone.
I’m glad this is out there…especially for Kaitlyn and Kylee.
The pain may be too much right now but in 20 years when they’ve unfortunately forgotten their mother’s laughter and voice they’ll have this to remind them of that and for them to see what their mama went through FOR THEM.
Anna didn’t have to undergo those treatments but she wanted to be around for as long as possible for those she loved.
Again, it’s all very nice that she wants this documented for her girls. You are misunderstanding my point. My point is, the family doesn’t need to be putting all of these stories out there every other day about her last days, last breath, last whatever. They are perfectly free to put video together of all of that for her girls without putting it on the internet at every step. In other words, it’s totally trashy for this pathetic family to continue to put this all over the internet when they could be doing a nice thing for the girls, and not trying to keep themselves relevant. They just want to keep getting as much attention for themselves as possible.
I get your point, you’re missing mine, my point is that they (Anna) are consenting adults and can do what they want with whatever material they want.
And what you or anyone thinks about it is pretty IRRELEVANT
As a nurse, this sounds like a nightmare situation with the family flipping out as she passed. There’s no right way to react to someone dying so young, but dear Lord I hope Anna wasn’t aware if it was chaotic.
Does anyone know how custody normally works with step kids? Would the step parent normally keep custody in this situation, or would that only happen if the step parent was the only remaining parent? I’m still not understanding why such a terrible decision was made for the girls.
From what I understand, Mama June is getting custody of Kaitlyn (since the father isn’t in the picture) and Anna’s ex Michael Cardwell is getting custody of Kylee.
With my limited understanding, I believe that custody always goes to a biological parent unless that person has been deemed incapable by the courts or they’ve voluntarily signed over their rights.
Yeah, that makes sense.
The mystery remains of why June but I don’t think we’re gonna figure that one out!
My guess is because it will allow for a second chance?
She effed up with Anna so she’s getting a “do over” with Kaitlyn…sometimes people learn and grow and apparently Anna did make amends with June shortly after the diagnosis…so obviously she had faith in her.
I actual have more faith in June allowing Eldridge to have communication and visitation with Kaitlyn than I do with Michael when it comes to Kylee. Something always seemed VERY controlling about him. He’s probably glad Anna’s gone.
Whatever anyone thinks doesn’t matter. Anna wanted this documented. The end. RIP Anna and I pray your girls grow up and have wonderful life🙏❤️
I agree Lewie
I don’t know if this is just how the family is choosing to cope, but I think Anna’s death is being exploited.
I really feel bad for her, I can’t imagine being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer so young, or at any age. Mama June was horrible to Anna, she allowed a sex offender boyfriend to hurt her.
I get that there done reality shows and apparently Mama June was quite close with Anna’s oldest daughter, which tells me maybe there were apologies made. Did someone call backgrid for the funeral pictures?
It says that “Anna wanted her cancer battle documented” so I doubt there’s any exploitation going on?
Yeah Anna wanted that because she wanted to raise awareness about cancer or because they told her that she could make fast cash to leave her girls? It was the production crew that refused to film her literal last breath. Who sincerely wants their dying moments to be film for a reality TV show?