Ahead of her big gig hosting the 2018 ACM Awards on April 15, Reba McEntire is speaking out to EXTRA about friend and fellow country superstar Carrie Underwood. Reba spoke about the tough few months Carrie has had following a fall on some steps outside her Tennessee home that left her with a broken wrist and around 50 stitches to her face.
Speaking to the site in Las Vegas, which is where the country award show will be airing live again this year, Reba said this week that one of the things she’s most looking forward to when it comes to the big event is seeing Carrie again for the first time since her fall.
“I can’t wait to see her and hug her neck,” McEntire said when asked about Underwood, who will be taking to the stage for the first time since her fall around five months ago. She added that she’s ready to give her “a big southern saying” and noted that she’ll “be supporting her and cheering her on.”
Underwood recently revealed that she’ll be performing her brand new emotional single “Cry Pretty” for the very first time, which Reba also confirmed to EXTRA .
When asked what Underwood will be singing at the ACM Awards to mark her big comeback and first official TV appearance since her fall, she replied, “I think it’s going to be a brand new song off her new album.”
Reba also shared her big plans to embrace Carrie with a big hug when she sees her with Eugene, Oregon’s KVAL News .
“Carrie has had a rough time this year and I’m really excited to hear her new music that she’s been recording,” the “Fancy” singer told the local news outlet . “[I’m] also eager to hug her neck and to tell her that I love her.”
Reba also recently spoke about her friend Carrie in a pre-ACM Awards interview with InStyle , where she revealed how she let the mom of one know that she was thinking about her after her fall in November and added that she was “devastated” when she heard the news.
“I was devastated when I heard about her fall,” Reba told InStyle during a backstage interview. “I was so concerned.”
“I was devastated when I heard about her fall. I was so concerned I texted and sent flowers” says Reba of #CarrieUnderwood ‘s accident, which is why she can’t wait to see her at this Sunday’s #ACMAwards . pic.twitter.com/xGS0SOACqg
— InStyle (@InStyle) April 12, 2018
She added that she sent Underwood a text and some flowers, also asking her if there was anything she could do to help. “But healing is a very personal thing so I just wanted to let her know that I was praying for her,” she said of Underwood’s time away from the spotlight to heal from her injury.
Reba then added that although she hadn’t spoken to Carrie since her accident, she told the site that she was definitely “excited” to see her at the ACM Awards on April 15 and would be giving her a big hug.
As reported by People , Underwood looks like she’ll be pulling out all the stops for her big return to the stage this weekend.
The site revealed that the country star shared a photo with fans from the rehearsal room where she confidently showed her face after months of keeping her appearance a little more under wraps in the wake of her accident.
The photo showed 3-year-old Isaiah’s mom dressed casually while singing her heart out and sitting on a stool. She wrote in the caption, “Getting ready for the weekend…#CryPretty #ACMawards.”
Carrie is nominated for two awards on the night for both Female Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for “The Fighter,” her duet with Keith Urban.
Carrie Underwood’s much-anticipated appearance at the awards will mark her first time stepping out at a big public event since her November fall.
The 2018 ACM Awards, officially titled the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards, will air live from Las Vegas on CBS on April 15 at 8 p.m. ET.