Jeff Jarrett Recalls How Taylor Swift Was ‘Like a Big Sister’ to His Daughters After His Wife Died

If singing didn’t pan out, Taylor Swift could’ve made her name in babysitting. In a recent interview with WREG News Channel 3, pro wrestler Jeff Jarrett revealed that the 34-year-old pop star used to watch his three daughters when she was a teenager — something that was extra meaningful as his wife Jill Gregory had just passed away.

“She’s a friend of the family,” Jarrett told the organization. “Very good to my family during a very dark period in our family. My wife got sick and she passed away, but Taylor was like a big sister and came over and took the girls, baking cookies and just kinda hung out at the house.”

“I can’t say enough good things about Taylor,” he continued. “Just a sweetheart. I still call her ‘our girl’ and now she’s hanging out in the NFL circles.”

Gregory died in May 2007, just a few months after Swift released her self-titled debut album. The WWE Hall of Famer also clarified that Swift “was never on the Jeff Jarrett payroll,” implying that the 14-time Grammy winner watched over the girls — Joslyn, Jaclyn and Jerlyn — out of the kindness of her heart.

The “Anti-Hero” singer has been friends with the Jarrett family since she moved to Hendersonville, Tenn. as a teenager to pursue her music career. In 2010, she cast Jaclyn to play a younger version of herself in the “Mine” music video, for which the wrestler and his kids all flew up to Maine to shoot with several other young family friends Swift casted to play her future children.

“I know all of these families personally for different weird uncanny reasons,” the singer said in a behind-the-scenes video at the time. “I’m just excited that they’re going to be in the video because I just didn’t want them to be strangers, the people playing my future family.”

Almost fifteen years later, Swift is now embarked on her global Eras Tour, which most recently set up shop in Zürich for two shows starting Tuesday (July 9). Exactly one year and a day prior, the superstar released the re-recorded version of 2011’s Speak Now, featuring an updated take on lead single “Mine.”

Watch Jarrett talk about Swift above.