Gabrielle Reece
Reece in 2017
Personal information
Born (1970-01-06) January 6, 1970 (age 54)
La Jolla, California, US
Height6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)
College / UniversityFlorida State University
Beach volleyball information
Teammate
Holly McPeak, Linda Hanley

Gabrielle Allyse Reece (born January 6, 1970)[1] is an American former professional volleyball player, sports announcer, fashion model, and podcast host.

Early life

Reece was raised in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, an only child[2] of Terry Glynn[3] and Robert Eduardo Reece.[4] Her father, who was Trinidadian, was killed in a plane crash when Gabrielle was five. She returned to the U.S. mainland for the eleventh grade, attending Keswick Christian School in St. Petersburg, Florida, when she took up sports. In 1989, she moved to New York City to more rigorously pursue a parallel career as a sports fashion model and also continue her pro volleyball career.

Volleyball career

After graduation, Reece played on professional volleyball tours for several years.

Reece trained in golf for four years hoping to make it onto the LPGA. However, she was unsuccessful. In 2009, she said, "... with young children, I simply didn't have the time for such a demanding game".[5]

Modeling career

She appeared in several Elle layouts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She has appeared on the covers of Outside, Shape, Women's Sports & Fitness, Playboy, Elle, and Life.[6]

Other work

In 2022, she appeared as herself in an episode of Billions.[7] In her April 2013 book titled My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper: A Guide to the Less Than Perfect Life, Reece writes that "to truly be feminine means being soft, receptive, and – look out, here it comes – submissive."[8] She went on to further define her point in an April 16 interview on The Today Show by saying that she believes women being submissive in relationships is a sign of strength – not weakness. "We don’t worry about (men) having it all, so I don’t know where we got this idea to have it all".[9]

Personal life

On November 30, 1997, Reece married big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton. They have two daughters.[10] She and Hamilton also are raising Hamilton's daughter from his previous marriage to big wave surfer and clothing designer Maria Souza. The Hamilton-Reece family splits time residing in Hawaii and Malibu, California. In the latter, she is known as a member of the "Malibu Mob", a group of celebrity friends and neighbors that includes actor John Cusack, hockey player Chris Chelios, tennis player John McEnroe, and actor John C. McGinley.[11]

References

  1. ^ Morgan, Terri (1999). Gabrielle Reece: Volleyball's Model Athlete. ISBN 9780822536673.
  2. ^ @GabbyReece (July 11, 2013). "U know what it is about kids? No OFF..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Volleyball, Anyone? Model Gabrielle Reece's Favorite Spikes Are Not on Her Heels: People.com". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  4. ^ Morgan, Terri (January 1, 1999). Gabrielle Reece: Volleyball's Model Athlete. Lerner Publishing Group. ISBN 9780822536673. Retrieved August 22, 2016 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Personality Parade, by Walter Scott, Parade magazine, March 29, 2009, p. 2.
  6. ^ "AskMen.com". Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  7. ^ Kundu, Tamal (March 13, 2022). "Are Gabrielle Reece, Gayle King, Megan Rapinoe in Billions Season 6?". TheCinemaholic. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Reece, Gabrielle (2013). My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper: A Guide to the Less Than Perfect Life. Scribner. p. 224. ISBN 978-1451692662.
  9. ^ Stump, Scott. "Gabby Reece: Women being submissive is 'a sign of strength'". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Gabrielle Reece, Laird Hamilton have a daughter". Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  11. ^ Arash Markazi (May 14, 2009). "Old man Chelios and his Malibu Mob". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Then again, [Chris] Chelios isn't you're average 47-year-old NHL defenseman. He's the ringleader of the "Malibu Mob," an exclusive gang of athletes and celebrities that live in Malibu and hang out together during the summer. The Mob currently includes John Cusack, John McEnroe, Tony Danza, John C. McGinley, D.B. Sweeney, Laird Hamilton, and Gabrielle Reece.

External links