One of Millie Bobby Brown‘s best friends is Gia LoRusso, and the story of how they met may leave you teary-eyed. We broke down their emotional past, friendship timeline and who Gia is here.
Keep reading to learn more about MBB’s BFF.
How Did Millie Bobby Brown and Gia LoRusso Met?
Millie explained that she met her friend through Gia’s younger sister Olivia during an interview with Vogue in March 2024.
“We actually became friends because Gia’s younger sister, Olivia, was a huge fan of Stranger Things,” she began. “And [she] really resonated with Eleven because Eleven had a shaved head and at the time Olivia was going through chemotherapy for Leukemia, she continued, before getting a little teary-eyed and explaining that Olivia had sadly passed away.
“Olivia passed away and I became best friends with Gia through Olivia,” she finished. “So I think that was meant for a reason.”
The Netflix star had nothing but sweet words to say about her best friend earlier in the video, explaining that Gia is the most “wonderful human being.”
“I just love her, she makes me laugh so hard, and I think sometimes in like the seriousness of it all, she grounds me.”
Gia often posts heartwarming posts of her and Millie — including one birthday tribute for the Damsel actress’ 16th birthday in 2020, where she listed 16 reasons why she celebrates her best friend. “[W]e met under the very worst of circumstances but still became the closest bestie/sisters ever,” she wrote as the 16th reason.
Who Is Gia LoRusso?
Gia, 22, is the founder and social media manager of the Olivia Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to end childhood cancer. Gia created the foundation in honor of her little sister, Olivia Hope LoRusso.
In 2017, Olivia was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at 11 years old, and passed 15 months later.
The foundation’s official website writes, “Olivia Hope Foundation was created based on Olivia’s hope: that some day children with cancer will not have to suffer the way she did.”
Millie’s beauty brand, Florence by Mills, often supports the Olivia Hope Foundation, and was founded in honor of Olivia after her passing.
Talking to Glamour in 2019, Millie said: “A few years ago, I met a young girl, her name was Olivia Hope LoRusso. She had been diagnosed with cancer and I got friends with her for a while. We then became best friends and we spoke every day. And then she sadly passed away. I’m best friends with her sisters, her twin sister, her family – we’re very close. In my new beauty and skincare line called Florence by Mills, we have a dedicated ‘in memory of’ product about Olivia.”
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