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]
Born
Carmella Danielle DeCesare
Other names
Carmella Danielle Garcia
Occupation(s)
Model, professional wrestler
Years active
2003–2008 (model)
2004 (wrestler)
Spouse
(m. 2007, divorced)Children
4
April 2003
Preceded by
Succeeded by
2004
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Height
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Carmella
Billed height
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Billed from
Trained by
Debut
October 19, 2004
Retired
November 18, 2004
Carmella DeCesare was born July 1, 1982. A native of Avon Lake, Ohio, she is of Italian and Puerto Rican ancestry.[5]
Carmella 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]
DeCesare 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.
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2002
Playboy: Who Wants to Be a Playboy Centerfold?
Self
TV Special
2003
Playboy Cyber Girls
Self
1 Episode
2004
Self
1 Episode
2004
Self
1 Episode
2004
Howard Stern
Self
1 Episode
2004
Raw Diva Search Casting Special
Self
TV Special
2004
Self
15 Episodes
2004
Self (as Carmella)
TV Special
2005
WWE $250,000 Raw Diva Search
Self - Finalist
TV Special
2005-2007
Self - Playmate of the Year, 2004
4 Episodes
2010
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
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
DeCesare 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]
On 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]
On 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]
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Other sources
Sara Schwartz
Playboy Cyber Girl of the Week
October 21, 2002
Katie Hadorn
Playboy Cyber Girl of the Month
February 2003
Heather McQuaid