Gabrielle Reece Volleyball player, sports news presenter, model Date of Birth: 06.01.1970 Country: USA

Biography of Gabrielle Reece

Gabrielle Ellis Reece, an American professional volleyball player, sports news presenter, model, and extreme sports enthusiast, was born on January 6, 1970, in La Jolla, California. She was the only child in her family. Her mother is from Long Island, New York, and her father is of Afro-Trinidadian descent. Her father tragically died in an airplane crash when Gabrielle was five years old. She spent her childhood in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and returned to Florida in her 11th grade. Although she had no interest in sports until high school, Gabrielle had to join a sports team in order to get into college. She chose volleyball and became a member of the University of Florida's volleyball team, where she studied communication.

In 1989, she moved to New York to pursue a modeling career. After six weeks, she returned to Florida for training, but then went back to New York for modeling work. In August of that year, she competed as part of the university team to earn some rewards and protect the university's honor, even though she had to turn down several lucrative modeling projects. In 1997, Reece's photos were placed in the University of Florida Hall of Fame. She set two new school records - 240 solo blocks and 747 total blocks - both of which remain unbeaten.

After graduating from university, Reece embarked on her professional volleyball career. In 1997, her team of four players won first place in the first Beach Volleyball World Championships, competing against the best beach volleyball players worldwide. Reece also started combining her sports career with modeling during her college years. In 1989, she was named one of the five most beautiful women in the world by ELLE magazine. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Gabrielle appeared multiple times in ELLE magazine. She graced the covers of several magazines, including Shape, Women's Sports & Fitness, Outside, ELLE, and Life. In January 2001, she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine.

Together with Karen Karbo, Reece wrote a book about her life and sports career called "Big Girl in the Middle," published by Crown in 1997. She also had a column in Women's Sports & Fitness magazine and worked as an editor for ELLE. Reece worked as a presenter on ESPN and hosted the show "Gravity Games" on NBC, where she fearlessly engaged in extreme sports such as sledging, kayaking through aerated rapids, drag racing, surfing, skydiving, and more. She also commentated the Goodwill Games in 1998.

Reece has made appearances not only on television shows but also in movies. In 1997, she played a supporting role as an instructor in the film "Gattaca," and in 2004, she portrayed a professional volleyball player in the movie "Cloud Nine." She has also guest-starred in TV series such as "North Shore" (2004) and "8 Simple Rules" (2005), as well as appearing on "America's Next Top Model" and "The Tyra Banks Show."

Reece is also an entrepreneur. She represents Nike and is an expert and author for Yahoo Health. She has released health and wellness products called "The Primal System." Reece hosts a show called "Insider Training" on Fit TV/Discovery, where she shares insights into the lives and training regimens of professional athletes.

In her personal life, Reece's activities are not as diverse as her professional endeavors. On November 30, 1997, she married Hawaiian surfer Laird Hamilton, known for conquering big waves. In January 2001, Reece filed for divorce but reconciled with Hamilton a year later. The couple has two children: daughter Reece Viola Hamilton, born in October 2003, and son Brody Jo Hamilton, born on January 1, 2008, in Hawaii.