| |
| Born | Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta May 5 1982 Los Angeles, California |
| Residence | Newport Coast, Los Angeles |
| Education | Marina High School |
| Occupation | Model |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Spouse | Kobe Bryant (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
Vanessa Marie Bryant (born Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta, formerly Laine; May 5, 1982) is a former American model and video vixen. Beginning her career as a teenager, Bryant has appeared in numerous music videos. She is married to former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.
Biography
Bryant was born in Huntington Beach, California. She is the second child of Sofia Laine (née Urbieta). She is of Mexican and Irish, English, German descent. When Bryant was three years old, her parents divorced and she and her older sister, Sophie, were raised by their mother until a few years later when her mother married businessman Stephen Laine. Bryant was born Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta; her name was legally changed to Vanessa Laine in 2000 when she took her step-dad's last name even though he never adopted her.
After she got married she changed her name to Vanessa Marie Bryant. In 2002, her mother divorced Laine and they lived in Anaheim and Temecula before moving to West Garden Grove. Bryant attended St. Boniface Parochial School in 1996, and was a member of the varsity cheerleading squad before transferring to Marina High School using her ex-stepfather’s dad’s home address. She graduated with honors in 2000 and graduated with her class.
Personal Life
In 1999, she met basketball player Kobe Bryant on the set of the music video for Snoop Dogg. They dated for six months, then became engaged in 2000, and married in California on April 18, 2001. Bryant was a senior at Marina High School. She completed high school via home program due to the pandemonium with her dating Kobe Bryant.
The couple have three daughters: Natalia Diamante (b. 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore (b. 2006), and Bianka Bella (b. 2016). In April 2005, Vanessa suffered a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy. On January 1st, 2019, Kobe and Vanessa announced on Instagram that they are expecting their fourth child together.
On December 16, 2011, she filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years Kobe Bryant citing irreconcilable differences, and requested joint custody of her daughters. On January 11, 2013, both announced via social media that they had called off their divorce.