Photo: Jillian Michaels Instagram
Jillian Michaelsis a married woman.
In the summer of 2022, Michaels and DeShanna Marie Minuto tied the knot in a private ceremony after dating for roughly four years. The couple first got together shortly afterMichaels confirmed her splitfrom her ex-fiancé, Heidi Rhoades.
Speaking to PEOPLE in November 2021, the fitness expert said, “DeShanna is ‘all the things’— beautiful, smart, funny, creative, quirky, passionate … I could run down the list of adjectives.” She added, “I am so grateful to call her mine.”
Since eloping in Africa, Michaels and Minuto have hosted three wedding celebrations for friends and family. Their most recent nuptials, which occurred in June 2023, includedthree days of festivities in Venice, Italy.
So, who is Jillian Michaels' wife? Here’s everything to know about DeShanna Marie Minuto.
She and Michaels met on Raya
DeShanna Marie Minuto Instagram
According toWomen’s Health,Michaels and Minuto met on Raya, the members-only dating app for celebrities.
The pair began dating in 2018, a few months after Michaels announced that she and her former fiancé Rhoades had split.
That Christmas,Minuto shared a black-and-white selfie of her and Michaelslaughing and drinking wine on Instagram. A few days later, the fashion designer shared another picture with the fitness star and wrote, “I ❤️ YOU @jillianmichaels.”
She’s a fashion designer
Born in New York City, Minuto is a fashion designer. She started her own line of clothing in 2019 calledLetterino, which sells custom-reconstructed vintage jackets.
She was a college athlete
Minuto is a former D1 college athlete and she works out with her fitness-loving wife. However, Michaels previously told PEOPLE thatMinuto found her workouts challenging.
“What’s interesting about DeShanna is she was like, a D1 athlete — some crazy great athlete … and is very fit, very lean, and was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to start working out,’ " Michaels shared in 2021. “And so I was like, ‘Alright babe.’ "
The celebrity trainer continued, “I gave her a little routine and she was like, ‘I can’t walk, I’ve been zombified, I hate you’ and then, over a couple of weeks … she’s like, I just ran my mile in seven minutes and 15 seconds.”
She’s an animal lover
Minuto enjoys riding horses and swimming with sharks in her spare time.
“Jill has always been the one to continuously push me out of my comfort zone and grow, which I am beyond grateful for,” Minuto wrote onInstagramwhile sharing how she overcame her fear of the ocean. “My first dive was in Belize — and there were sharks. I was truly amazed at how calm these special creatures were. I remembered the lessons — stay calm, don’t splash, stare directly into their eyes, point your fins at them.”
Michaels and Minuto also have several family pets: two dogs and a cat the fashion designer found abandoned on a highway in Miami.
She and Michaels got engaged in 2021
Speaking to PEOPLE about the engagement, Michaels said, “It’s easy to stay together when everything is going great, but when real life sets in and things get messy, challenging, scary, and even downright ugly — that’s when the truth reveals itself. And this woman has revealed herself to be strong beyond measure, wise beyond her years, and loving beyond my wildest dreams.”
In the summer of 2022,the two made it officialwith a courthouse wedding in Miami.
She and Michaels eloped in Africa
“We both love Africa. From the minute our feet touch the ground on that continent we feel at peace,” Michaels told PEOPLE exclusively, adding, “and Namibia in particular is a very special place.”
“Their culture is inherently different than ours,” Michaels explained, saying that being gay wouldn’t have been accepted previously. “D and I felt that them allowing us into their community, performing our ceremony and teaching us about their way of life was incredibly special.”
A few days later, Minuto shared a post-wedding message onInstagram, writing, “We did it! 👰♂️ Jillian Michaels, I love you madly. And I’m right where I belong, home where the heart is with you , Lukensia & Phoenix. Thanks to our family and friends for the support you’ve shown us over the course of our relationship. Look forward to celebrating with you guys Venice 2023! DeShanna Marie Michaels 🥂.”
She and Michaels had a third wedding in Italy
After getting married at a courthouse and saying “I do” in Africa, Michaels and Minuto tied the knotfor a third timeon June 24, 2023, in Italy.
The couple had a three-day celebration at the Aman hotel, a palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice. During the ceremony, Minuto wore a boat neck mermaid Zuhair Murad gown while Michaels chose a black dress with sheer sleeves.
“She’s beautiful, she’s funny and she’s so creative,” Michaels told PEOPLE of her wife. “But all that shiny stuff in the beginning doesn’t last. So what makes you say to yourself, ‘I want to walk alongside this human for the rest of my life.’ And I take that really seriously. I’m 49. I’ve never married anyone. I just didn’t believe that there was a human I could do that with until DeShanna.”
She’s a stepmom to Michael’s two kids
Michaels has two childrenwhom she shares with ex-fiancé Rhoades. Her daughter Lukensia was adopted from Haiti in 2012, and her son Phoenix was born the same month.
On her podcast,Keeping it Real,Michaels spoke with Dr. Wednesday Martin about Minuto becoming a stepmom, saying, “She’s come through well, but wow, talk about a lose-lose in the beginning.”
She and Michaels have traveled the world together
Since their relationship began, Michaels and Munito have traveled all over the world together. Based on their Instagram posts, the pair have been to Belize, Japan, Spain, Morocco, Finland, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, Africa and Dubai. They also frequently travel to Colorado and Wyoming where they enjoy snowboarding and horseback riding.
In April 2023, Michaels looked back on their many trips together in anInstagram postthat marked Minuto’s birthday. “Happiest birthday to my wifey @deshannamarie - from Ultra Miami to the Stage Coach Bar in Jackson. From the beaches of Galapagos to the Namibian Desert, Yankee Stadium to our living room couch,” Michaels captioned photos of their various trips. “You are my always and forever. My one and only. I love you Smooshie - to the moon and back again.”
source: people.com
