Jessica Herrera is the wife of the former NFL sensation Champ Bailey. After his first marriage failed, Champ and Jessica began dating and tied the knot after several years. They have been each other’s happily ever after since.
While Champ’s prominence comes from his extensive football career, his partner made a name for herself as a model. Her stunning photoshoots made most news outlets report their wedding as “Champ married a hot model.” Well, she lives up to that title.
Regardless, Jessica has left that life behind and now dedicates herself to becoming a devoted spouse and loving mother.
Jessica Herrera Is Hispanic
Jessica was born on June 18, 1985, and is from Mexico. She proudly embraces her Hispanic roots. Her parents are Claudia Lopez and Jimmy Barela. She has three siblings: a sister named Sam Herrera and two brothers named Christopher Herrera and Jeffrey Barela.
Could it be that Mr. Barela is her stepdad, as only Jeffrey shares the last name with him?
In addition, all of the siblings have their own families. Despite that, they are quite close and spend abundant time together. Furthermore, Jessica’s mother maintains an active presence on Instagram, and her profile is full of pictures of her children and grandchildren.
Jessica Is A Former Model
Before her marriage to Champ, the beautiful lady had an extensive modeling career. She has also been featured in several magazines. Based in Los Angeles, California, Jessica worked under her moniker, Jesikah Maximus. Her profile can still be found on Model Mayhem‘s website.
In her profile, Jessica describes herself as easygoing, who loves to earn people’s respect rather than charming their egos. She is a self-proclaimed “very hard worker, loyal, a lover.”
Herrera is beautiful, and she knows it. She has multiple photos of her during her modeling days on her profile, the most popular with over 70,000 views and the least popular with over 19,000 views.
Jessica Herrera And Champ Bailey Tied The Knot In 2014
Champ married his long-term girlfriend, Jessica, on July 12, 2014, at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, CA, during an evening ceremony. It was a lavish ritual, where they exchanged vows surrounded by friends and family. A few months after their union, Champ retired from professional football, and they have been living happily ever since.
Besides, they had known each other for a long time. The first photograph of the pair dates back to 2011, which was uploaded on Jessica’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
However, they started dating on November 18, 2007, which was made public when Mrs. Bailey posted a snap of them together with the caption, “9 Years Today” in 2016.
The Lovebirds Have Two Children Together
Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have welcomed two wonderful kids together. Their oldest, Brayden Bailey, was born on January 20, 2010. He was born out of wedlock and attended his father’s games from an early age. Brayden also has a passion for football and plays as a cornerback and wide receiver for Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.
Moreover, their youngest, Beckem Bailey, was born in September 2018.
Apart from that, Champ is a father of four other children. His oldest, Bria Mincey, was born when he was just 14. Her mother was the Hall of Famer’s high school sweetheart. Similarly, another daughter, Whitney Bailey, was born when he was 18.
Plus, the former footballer has two children from his previous marriage, Keevan and Miah Bailey. Keevan is a standout football player already making his mark in the sport. He also has a son named Jace Bailey.
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All of them are close and were present in their father’s Hall of Fame event, who spoke about them with pride. He said,
I love you all so much and would do anything, I mean anything, as my dad did for me, I would do anything to help you fulfill your dreams. I love you.
Jessica Herrera’s Hubby Was Previously Married
Champ and Hanady Aboneaaj sealed their union on May 25, 2002, at Dean Gardens, Atlanta. They were college sweethearts who met during their time at the University of Georgia. Two hundred forty people attended their wedding, including prominent NFL players of that time.
Sadly, their union ended in divorce in 2006. Hanady received a substantial sum in the divorce settlement, including a house the then-couple bought at $3.5 million and child support.
Nonetheless, in 2009, the house was up for auction, as Hanady failed to pay a $1.45 million mortgage that she took out on the house.
Champ Bailey’s Wife Reminds Him Of His Grandma
The lovely pair have a longstanding marriage based on mutual love and support. Even before their wedding, Jessica was always there for her soulmate. She has attended every game and event with him and left behind her modeling career to be by his side.
She was there when the former cornerback was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jessica asked Champ to take off his glasses so everyone could see his joy. In his speech, he described her as a loyal partner and compared her qualities with that of his grandmother. He stated,
Man, she reminds me a lot of my grandmother. She has all the same qualities ‑‑ caring, loyal, and always trying to feed everybody. She’s also very strict and disciplined. You can ask our son Brayden about that and our soon‑to‑be one‑year‑old son Beckem. Thanks, babe, for dealing with me full‑time since I retired. I know I can be a handful. Thank you. I love you.
Presently, Jessica lives with her husband and children in Atlanta, Georgia. They put their $2.6 million house up for sale in 2019 to “accommodate” their “growing family.”
