Getty Lorena Gallo attends the "Lorena" Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
The Lifetime special I Was Lorena Bobbitt comes out on May 25, and it explores her life from the start of her marriage to John Wayne Bobbitt, to the abuse she suffered at his hands and the media storm in the aftermath of the infamous incident. She was born in Ecuador and grew up in Venezuela before marrying John Wayne Bobbitt in 1989. She said she suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at his hands before cutting off his penis while he slept on June 23, 1993.
Bobbitt was charged with marital sexual assault and acquitted, whereas she was found not guilty of malicious wounding by reason of temporary insanity and served a short, court-mandated stay in a mental hospital. Lorena Bobbitt, who now goes by her maiden name Gallo, never remarried, although she has been in a relationship with her partner David Bellinger for over 20 years now and they have a daughter together.
Gallo & Bellinger Met in College After Her Divorce From Bobbitt & Their Friendship Blossomed Into a Long-Term Relationship
After her stint in the mental hospital, Gallo attended Northern Virginia Community College, where she met Bellinger. A New York Times piece on Gallo said that the two were “study partners and friends” for many years before they began a romantic relationship. She said she never dated anyone else. Her divorce from Bobbitt was finalized in 1995, a year after obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Although she sometimes refers to Bellinger as her husband, the two never married. In an appearance on “The Steve Harvey Show” in 2015, she said: “He’s a gentleman. He treats me like he’s supposed to. Everything is, you know, so far, so good.”
When she was asked why the two never married in an interview with USA Today, Gallo laughed and said she does believe in marriage as an institution but it just never happened. She said, “It was my choice. He even says, ‘If you’re ready to marry, I’ll just show up!'” She added that every year, they tell each other that this year could be the year: “And this year comes and goes. So it’s been over 20 years now. It’s great.” The two had a daughter together in 2005, named Olivia.
Gallo Said That Her Daughter Has Seen ‘Lorena,’ a Documentary Series About the Events
The New York Times wrote that Gallo now lives with Bellinger and their 14-year-old daughter in a cream-colored brick house in a suburban neighborhood in Manassas, Virginia. Gallo said her daughter is aware of the infamous incident involving her mother and her mother’s ex-husband. She said the four-part documentary series “Lorena” debuted at Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Gallo discovered that Bellinger and Olivia were watching the screening and she said, “Immediately, my motherly instincts are like, ‘Oh my God, protect, protect her.” She hadn’t shared the details before, only that she was previously married and had been hurt.
She said that when she went into the room where the screening was taking place, she sat behind them and cried watching Bellinger holding Olivia, who was leaning on his shoulder. Gallo said that afterward, her daughter told her: “Mom, I didn’t realize how strong you were.”
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