Carmella Danielle DeCesare Garcia (born July 1, 1982)[1][2] is an American model who was Playboy magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of the Year for 2004. She is also known for her time in WWE as a WWE Diva search contestant. She was featured in the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the players' wives feature.[3][4]
Carmella DeCesare | |
|---|---|
 DeCesare at Hot Import Nights, 2006 | |
| Born | Carmella Danielle DeCesare July 1, 1982 Avon Lake, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Other names | Carmella Danielle Garcia |
| Occupation(s) | Model, professional wrestler |
| Years active | 2003–2008 (model) 2004 (wrestler) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Playboy centerfold appearance | |
| April 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Pennelope Jimenez |
| Succeeded by | Laurie Fetter |
| Playboy Playmate of the Year | |
| 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Christina Santiago |
| Succeeded by | Tiffany Fallon |
| Personal details | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] |
| Ring name(s) | Carmella |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Billed from | Avon Lake, Ohio |
| Trained by | World Wrestling Entertainment |
| Debut | October 19, 2004 |
| Retired | November 18, 2004 |
Early life
editCarmella DeCesare was born July 1, 1982. A native of Avon Lake, Ohio, she is of Italian and Puerto Rican ancestry.[5]
Career
editModeling career
editCarmella DeCesare came to Playboy's attention after she applied to a Fox reality show Who Wants to Be a Playboy Centerfold search. After she was selected as a finalist, she withdrew from the competition due to having second thoughts about the endeavor. When Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner learned this, he invited her to his birthday party and convinced her to change her mind. She was subsequently chosen as a Playboy Cyber Girl of the Week, then a Cyber Girl of the Month before becoming Playboy's Miss April in 2003.[5]
DeCesare appeared in the 2005 Playmates at Play at the Playboy Mansion swimsuit calendar as calendar girl of March. The calendar was the inaugural Playmates at Play calendar and it was shot on the grounds of the Playboy Mansion in 2004. It was Playboy's first attempt at creating a non-nude swimsuit calendar featuring Playmates similar in style with those from Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2005, DeCesare received breast implants. In an episode of the E! reality-TV series The Girls Next Door in August 2005, she said that her implants looked fake because they were new and had not fully settled.[6]
DeCesare modeled in the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[5][7]
Professional wrestling career
editDeCesare made her first World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearance as a contestant in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. Following the Diva Search she feuded with Diva Search winner Christy Hemme which led to a Lingerie Pillow Fight match at Taboo Tuesday.[8] She left the promotion soon after.
Media
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Playboy: Who Wants to Be a Playboy Centerfold? | Self | TV Special |
| 2003 | Playboy Cyber Girls | Self | 1 Episode |
| 2004 | Street Smarts | Self | 1 Episode |
| 2004 | Family Feud | Self | 1 Episode |
| 2004 | Howard Stern | Self | 1 Episode |
| 2004 | Raw Diva Search Casting Special | Self | TV Special |
| 2004 | WWE Raw | Self | 15 Episodes |
| 2004 | WWE Taboo Tuesday | Self (as Carmella) | TV Special |
| 2005 | WWE $250,000 Raw Diva Search | Self - Finalist | TV Special |
| 2005-2007 | The Girls Next Door | Self - Playmate of the Year, 2004 | 4 Episodes |
| 2010 | Playboy Shooutout | Self (Guest Judge as Carmella DeCesare-Garcia) | 1 Episode |
| 2011 | Hooters 2011 International Swimsuit Pageant | Self - Audience Member (uncredited) | TV Special |
| 2014 | The Real Housewives of San Diego | Self | TV Special |
Video
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Playboy Video Playmate Calendar 2004 | Self - Miss February | |
| 2004 | Playboy Video Centerfold: Playmate of the Year Carmella DeCesare | Self | |
| 2004 | Playboy: 50 Years of Playmates | Self - Miss April 2003 | |
| 2004 | Playboy Video Playmate Calendar 2005 | Self - Miss December |
Charity work
editDeCesare and her husband, Jeff Garcia, founded the Garcia Pass It On Foundation in order to share resources with people in less fortunate circumstances.[9][10]
Legal issues
editOn September 10, 2004, DeCesare pleaded not guilty to assault in a Cleveland, Ohio court after a fight in a bar on August 21, 2004 with a woman named Kristen Hine.[11] She was acquitted of the assault charge on January 12, 2005 but found guilty of violating a restraining order. She was sentenced to do twenty-four hours of community service, given one year probation, and fined $150. During the trial, DeCesare testified that Jeff Garcia, her boyfriend at that time and the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, had been involved in an affair with Hine after DeCesare's and Garcia's relationship began.[12] Garcia commented, "It's embarrassing that I am here today, to be caught up in a situation like this."[13]
Personal life
editOn April 21, 2007, DeCesare married then-NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia[14] at the CordeValle Resort in San Martin, California.[15] Their first daughter, Presley, was born on April 28, 2008.[16] The couple welcomed their second child, a son, Jason in June 2009.[17] The couple's third child, a son named Jax was born on September 21, 2010.[18] In December 2011, their fourth child, a daughter, Faith was born.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Playmate data". Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ "Garcia Lawsuit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Carmella Garcia". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- ^ "Players' Wives (video)". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Carmella DeCesare". CraveOnline. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ "What Happens in Vegas". Girls Next Door, The. August 21, 2005. E!.
- ^ "Swimsuit". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ "Full Event Results".
- ^ "Garcia Pass It On Foundation". Look to the Stars. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ Georgatos, Dennis (May 27, 2007). "Newlywed Jeff Garcia on change in fortunes: 'I couldn't be happier' ". The Mercury News.
- ^ McCarthy, James F. (September 11, 2004). "Nightclub scuffle leads to charge against quarterback's girlfriend". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ "Playboy Playmate found not guilty of charge she karate-kicked woman". Dayton Daily News. January 13, 2005. p. B3.
- ^ Kolb, Garret (May 1, 2006). Spoiled Sports: Comical And Disturbing Stories of the 21st Century (1st ed.). Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 0740757040. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "Playmate News". Playboy. 55: 143–144. November 2008.
- ^ "Pivot and the playmate". Calgary Sun. May 18, 2007. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Our365 WebNursery® - Professional Newborn Photography". Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ "Garcia returns after birth of son". www.ibabuzz.com. June 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ "Game Recap: Colonials vs. Nighthawks". UFL-football.com. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Dorsey, Dustin (July 12, 2021). "Former 49ers, SJSU quarterback Jeff Garcia hosts football camp in hometown of Gilroy". KGO-TV. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Hiro, Brian (June 10, 2012). "Shooting The Breeze: A Q&A With Former NFL Quarterback Jeff Garcia". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
Other sources
- "Carmella DeCesare". Cleveland Magazine. v. 34, n. 1. January 2005. 71.
- Bill Lubinger. "PTA presidents, grandmas and actresses: Ohio-linked playmates have nothing to hide". The Plain Dealer. December 1, 2003.
External links
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