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Joey Lawrence is back in the spotlight for a new season of Celebrity Big Brother. Most people may recognize the 42-year-old actor from his role as Joey Russo on Blossom, while others may recall his starring part in the series Brotherly Love alongside his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew.
But what do we know about Joey’s personal life? Who are his children, and who is he married to?
Read on.
1. He Met His Wife on Vacation In Disney World
Joey met his wife while on vacation in Disney World when the two were teenagers. He then married and divorced from his first wife, Michelle Vella, before reconnecting with Chandie Yawn-Nelson.
In a 2013 interview with Us Weekly, Joey shared, “I met my wife at Disney World when I was 16 and on vacation. We went out, broke up, reunited years later, and got married there at Disney World in 2005!”
In a separate interview, he elaborated on meeting his wife, sharing, “It was raining one night and I wanted to get some ice cream on the way home from my autograph signing and we stopped in this Peaches and Cream ice cream parlor at a yacht club resort in Disney World,” he tells OK!. “She was waiting on a bench in a yellow poncho for her best friend to come out of the bathroom and I saw her.”
It seems things worked out for them because after they connected, they mutually decided marriage was the next step. Lawrence is quoted as saying, “Basically, the proposal was after I found her again and we got back together. We were driving in a car. We hadn’t seen each other in four and a half years and I flew into San Antonio to meet her, to see if the feelings were still there, and they were. When we were sitting in the car, literally, I didn’t even plan it, so it’s not some magical moment but to us it was. We looked at each other in the car, and she started crying. I said, ‘Let’s just do this,’ and she said, ‘OK.’ We set a date, and a year later we got married. ”
2. He Has Two Children
Lawrence has two children: Liberty Grace Lawrence and Charleston “Charli” Lawrence.
Discussing fatherhood with OK Magazine, Lawrence said, “You wake up every day and you see this little person running around. You know you’re totally responsible for them, and every move they make… The way they turn out, their lives, and their livelihood. It’s a tremendous, incredible thing. It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility. It’s what life is all about.”
Liberty Grace Lawrence is 8, and Charli is 12.
3. He Starred on a Sitcom with His Real Brothers
For years, Joey starred alongside his real brothers in the series Brotherly Love. The series ran from 1995 to 1997.
In an interview with Life of Dad, the actor was asked how it was to work on the sitcom. He said, “It was really cool. It was an experience that we will remember forever. We are actually talking about doing something else together at some point after “Melissa & Joey” runs its course… “Brotherly Love” was a really great time. My whole family was working together. It was awesome.”
4. His Brother Matthew Starred in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and ‘Boy Meets World’
Joey’s brother, Matthew, is also a familiar face for many ’90s and early 2000s TV fans.
He starred in Mrs. Doubtfire and Boy Meets World. In 2015, he reprised his role as Jack Hunter in Girl Meets World, a spinoff of Boy Meets World.
What’s he up to these days? Girl Meets World was Matthew’s most recent television role. According to his IMDB page, he currently has four projects in production.
Lawrence is engaged to professional dancer Cheryl Burke.
5. He Says He Wants His Daughters to Be ‘Leaders’
In an interview with Life of Dad, Joey discussed the morals he hopes to instill in his daughters as they get older.
He said, “I want them to be leaders. I want them to have a strong sense of their self. Not be afraid to speak their mind. I never want them to do anything that they don’t want to do. We go through it every day. They come home from school. They say that my friend said this and that. One is eight and the other is four. They both go through it. I am like look, you have the right to tell her that it is not okay.”
The actor continued, “They will then say that they don’t want to hurt their friend’s feelings. I tell them that if you are being honest and say it with grace you are not going to hurt her feelings. Don’t worry about hurting people’s feelings. You have to stand up for what is right, what you believe is right. Don’t let people push you around. You don’t have to be rude or inconsiderate, but I want you to be a leader and stand up for yourself.”
He went on to say that his daughters are not allowed on social media– the internet, in their house, is used for “information only.”