Chanel Banks Says She’s in Texas to Escape ‘Bad Situation’ with Family (Exclusive)

“Gossip Girl” actress Chanel Banks is setting the record straight.  

Chanel sat down to talk to “Extra” from Texas, to prove she is alive and well after her family claimed she has been missing.

Banks opened up about why she is in Texas, explaining, “I had to take myself out of a bad situation, and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that. And what transpired from that is what you are seeing in the media now, specifically from the people I’ve gotten away from.”  

While her family reported her missing for weeks, Chanel is denying that was the case. She noted, “I mean, the day I left was exactly seven days ago today. I haven’t been gone for three weeks. I haven’t been missing for three weeks. I’m an adult woman. I don’t have to call my mother every day.”  

Chanel claimed her mother lied to police since she had only been gone 24 hours.

Chanel went further with her mom, saying, “It wasn’t until most recently that I was successful in leaving, and what’s transpired is exactly that, her reaction to not having that control.”

As for why she wanted to get away, Banks explained, “Lately, in the past couple months, I noticed the leash was getting longer, so I took advantage of that, and I kind of made preparations to head out, so to speak. And I think that’s what really bamboozled her and got her really upset. And every single time I’ve, in the past, I’ve tried to escape, she shows up to my house.” 

She reiterated, “But it’s not just that first. It is the phone calls, as I’ve mentioned. The cops will come after me so ardently every single time, and it’s always when you’re at the end of almost falling apart because people who’ve done things to you, abominable things, are in your face, and now they’re forcing everyone else to force you right back to them. It wasn’t enough that the LAPD verified my identity. It wasn’t enough that the Texas law enforcement verified my identity. It wasn’t enough that there was a camera with me speaking on it clear as day, saying, ‘Please, leave me alone.’ It wasn’t enough.”

As for her relationship with her cousin, who questioned if she was really found safe, Chanel revealed that they haven’t really spoken to each other for 10 years. She elaborated, “I spoke to her one time when she was with my mother on the phone, and that must have been three weeks ago, very briefly, and my mom gave her my cell phone, and I think she sent me a text once, but I, this is not someone I have a relationship with. We definitely don’t have a sister-sister relationship.”

Banks wants people to know that she is okay, and that she is optimistic about the future. She wants to go back to doing the work she loves, including acting, and she thanks people for checking up on her!