DeCesare is a native of Avon Lake, Ohio. She is of Italian and Puerto Rican ancestry.[7][8]
Modeling career
DeCesare originally came to Playboy's attention after she applied to Playboy TV's reality television show; Who Wants To Be A Playboy Centerfold. She was selected as a finalist to take part of the show, but withdrew before filming due to having second thoughts about the endeavor. When Playboy founder Hugh Hefner learned this, he invited her to his birthday party and convinced her to change her mind. She was then subsequently chosen as the Playboy Cybergirl of the Week, then becoming Playboy Cybergirl of the Month, before officially becoming Playboy's Miss April in 2003.[7]
DeCesare posed nude for Playboy magazine and featured as the cover girl on multiple occasions, including on the June 2004 edition of the magazine where she was named the 2004 Playmate of the Year.[3][4] She appeared in the 2005 Playmates at Play at the Playboy Mansion Swimsuit Calendar as Miss March. Between 2005 and 2007, she appeared in multiple episodes of E! Network's, reality television series The Girls Next Door.[9]
DeCesare appeared in multiple Playboy specials, including an individual direct to video special titled; Playboy Video Centerfold: Playmate of the Year Carmella DeCesare.
DeCesare appeared for the WWE participating in the WWE's 2004 reality competition; WWE Diva Search, where she ultimately placed as the runner-up losing to Christy Hemme.[5][6] During her time in the WWE Diva Search, she no-showed a WWE Diva Dodgeball game at the WWE 2004 SummerSlam pay-per-view.[14] She also participated in the controversial, infamous Diss The Diva challenge hosted by Stacy Keibler, during an episode of RAW DeCesare alongside remaining diva search contestants; Amy Weber, Christy Hemme and Joy Giovanni competed in a live shoot promo challenge.[15] The segment has gained notoriety for being one of WWE's most explicit segments in history.[16][17][18] The segment began with contestant Maria Kanellis being eliminated and giving DeCesare the middle finger. Once the contest began, Amy Weber called DeCesare a "whore" and told her that "having a cock in her mouth, had nothing to do with wrestling", before calling her a bitch. DeCesare responded to Weber by claiming she tried out for Playboy but they laughed at her audition. Christy Hemme called DeCesare a "cum burping, gutter slut". Joy Giovanni called out DeCesare stating; "Carmella, you talk a lot of shit, but look at you, you've got a gap so wide you could drive a truck right through there baby!". DeCesare responded by outing Giovanni as a mother, something she had not told WWE higher-ups, as during this time there was a stigma against women having children in the industry.[19][20]
Despite placing second, DeCesare went on to briefly feud with eventual winner Christy Hemme, which led to a Lingerie Pillow Fight Match at the 2004 Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view in a losing effort.[21] This was her last appearance for the promotion. During an interview on the Girls Next Level podcast in 2023, DeCesare revealed she wanted to stay with the company but her agent at the time was asking for double the amount of money that the WWE were offering her to sign a contract.[22]
Legal issues
On September 10, 2004, DeCesare pleaded not guilty to assault in a Cleveland, Ohio court after a physical fight in a bar on August 21, 2004, with a woman named Kristen Hine.[23] 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 her then boyfriend Jeff Garcia, and at the time the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, had been involved in an affair with Hine, after their relationship began.[24] Garcia went on to comment; "It's embarrassing that I am here today, to be caught up in a situation like this."[25]
Personal life
On April 21, 2007, DeCesare married then NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia at the CordeValle Resort in San Martin, California.[26][27] They have four children together. Their first daughter was born in 2008,[28] their second was born in 2009,[29] their fourth was born in 2010[30] and in December 2011, their fourth child was born.[31][32] In a Christmas Day post in 2020, Garcia revealed on his official Instagram page that he and DeCesare were officially divorced saying; "Things happen, but we are still great friends and co parent our beautiful 4 kids together."[33]
DeCesare and Garcia together founded the Garcia Pass It On Foundation, in order to share resources with people in less fortunate circumstances across America.[34][35]
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