She Has a High-Profile Hubby
Charrisse has been married to Eddie Jordan for more than 18 years. Eddie played seven seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, and was a member of the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers championship team. Eddie then turned his attention to coaching, most notably serving as head coach of the Washington Wizards before returning to his alma mater to serve as head coach of Rutgers University's men's basketball team. That means for the past three years, Eddie has lived in New Jersey while Charrisse and their two children have remained in Potomac.
She Has Two Teens
Charrisse currently has the wonderful job of raising two teenagers: a 17-year-old son named Jackson and a 15-year-old daughter named Skylar.
She Gives Back
Charrisse may live a #blessed life, but she also uses her wealth and status for good. She has worked with many non-profit organizations in the past, including Knock Out Abuse, Men Against Breast Cancer, and N Street Village, which supports homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. Her biggest philanthropic role to date has been as president of Behind the Bench, the National Basketball Wives Association. For four years, Charrisse led the organization made up of current and retired NBA players' significant others to help them work together to raise money for charities and support one another as they take on the challenging role of being a basketball wife.
She's Originally From the Garden State
Charrisse is not originally from Potomac but from Somerset, New Jersey, according to her Facebook profile. After receiving an undergraduate degree in telecommunications from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Charrisse made her way back to the Garden State where she worked as a teacher and a site facilitator for after school programming in New Brunswick. But Charrisse is most definitely a true Potomac resident now.
She's 50, and She Owns It
Charrisse celebrated her 50th birthday in September, and she wasn't shy about her age. The RHOP mom flaunted turning the big 5-0 with the ginormous cake as seen on her social media page.
She Can Dance
Charrisse won the DC's Dancing Stars competition for charity in 2014.
She's Friends with a Real Housewives of D.C. Alum
Charrisse is friends with Paul Wharton, a TV personality and style expert, who also appeared as a friend to some of the ladies on The Real Housewives of D.C. Yes, Andy Cohen recently made it clear that RHOP is not just another RHODC, but the two shows do share this strong connection.
She's a Great Baker
Charrisse has tweeted out a few pics of some tasty-looking treats over the years.
She Was a Preacher's Wife
Gizelle was married to Jamal Bryant, the well-known high-energy founder and pastor of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore who also recently and briefly ran for Congress. After seven years together, the couple filed for divorce in 2008, which was partially caused by an extramarital affair on Jamal's part. These days, however, the two seem to be on good terms, perhaps even better terms than you would expect after a divorce.
She Has Three Kids
Gizelle keeps busy raising her three daughters with Jamal: Grace and twins Angel and Adore.
Her Dad Is a Big Deal
Since Potomac is located so close to Washington, D.C., it's no surprise that Gizelle comes from a prominent political family. Gizelle's father Curtis Graves served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973, the first African American person to have that post since 1899. After his tenure there, Curtis went on to work at NASA for 30 years and is now a fine arts photographer.
She Bumps Into a Lot of Famous Faces
Gizelle sure does know how to keep good company. If you scroll through her Instagram feed, you won't get far before you stumble upon a familiar face. Gizelle has rubbed elbows with the likes of Gayle King, ballet dancer Misty Copeland, and Thicker Than Water's Britney Tankard all within the past year.
She's a Real Housewives Fan
Gizelle is no stranger to The Real Housewives. In fact, she has been watching some of the series for years, including The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of D.C. Gizelle is even friendly with RHOA's own NeNe Leakes.
She Also Has Top Chef Connections
She used to sell her baked goods under the name "Sweet Gizelle" Bryant in the restaurant of Top Chef contestant Timothy Dean.
She Was in a Sorority
As a student at Hampton University, Gizelle was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
She's All About Philanthropy
Gizelle has dedicated her life to working on several philanthropic projects, including working with the Birmingham City Council to help with environmental advocacy and redevelopment of the Alabama city and dancing to support actor Hill Harper's Manifest Your Destiny Foundation.
She's Got a New Makeup Line in the Works
She is working on a makeup line geared toward women of color that is scheduled to launch next year. There aren't many other details about Gizelle's company available as of now.
She's a Maryland Girl Through and Through
Robyn was born and raised in Baltimore before attending the University of Maryland, where she earned a degree in business marketing.
She Married Her High School Sweetheart
Robyn and Juan Dixon attended high school and then college together before he proposed by popping the question in the sands of Miami Beach writing, "RB - will you marry me?" The two got married at the Galleria at Lafayette Center in Washington, D.C. in 2005 with a wedding that included 400 guests, a 12-person wedding party, and a dress from Justina McCaffrey Haute Couture, according to an article in The Baltimore Sun published on the big day. Unfortunately, this fairytale romance came to an end when Robyn and Juan's divorce was finalized in 2012. However, the two are still on good terms, so much so that they currently live under the same roof with their two sons.
And Then She Became a Basketball Wife
Not only was Juan a romantic, but he was also kind of a big deal when he and Robyn were dating. That's because Juan was a star college athlete, helping the University of Maryland Terrapins earn their first national men's basketball title in 2002 and remaining the school's all-time leading scorer in program history to this day. Juan went on to play in the NBA for seven seasons for the Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons during his career. He returned to his alma mater in 2013 to take on his current role special assistant to the head coach.
She's a Mother of Two
Robyn and Juan have two children: seven-year-old Corey and six-year-old Carter.
She Has Political Connections
Robyn and Juan aren't the only high-profile people in their family. Juan's aunt is Sheila Dixon, who became the first female mayor of Baltimore in 2007, serving until February 2010 when she resigned from office as part of a plea deal in a perjury case and following an embezzlement conviction in 2009. However, Sheila entered the 2016 mayoral race last summer, and her campaign to land the Democratic nomination in the primary election on April 26, 2016 is currently under way.
She's a Working Woman
She currently works as a publicist and event manager for the Washington, D.C.-based PR, marketing, and special events firm TAA PR, whose recent clients include Shake Shack, The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, and one of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud's restaurants.
She Keeps it Simple When it Comes to Beauty
Robyn keeps it simple when it comes to her beauty regimen. "I spend about five minutes on my makeup; I’m very basic," Robyn once told Washingtonian Mom. And when it comes to getting mani-pedis, which is usually a favorite activity among Housewives, Robyn would rather do her nails herself. "I hate getting my nails done at the nail salon," Robyn also told Washingtonian Mom. " I can’t stand sitting there for long periods of time with my hands stuck to a table.”
The Real Housewives of Potomac premieres on Sunday, January 17 at 9pm/8c on Bravo!
Source/Photo Credit: Bravo
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