Getty Dina Manzo in 2014
David Cantin is the current husband of former Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Dina Manzo. Manzo began dating him when she became separated from her ex-husband, Tommy Manzo, who is the brother of Caroline Manzo’s husband, Albert Manzo, according to The New York Post. Manzo and Cantin have now been married for three years and currently live in sunny California together.
Despite Manzo’s somewhat private life since she exited The Real Housewives of New Jersey, she and her husband have been making headlines again recently. According to The New York Post, on June 30 Tommy Manzo was arrested and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of hiring a “crime family soldier” to beat up David Cantin, Dina Manzo’s current husband.
So who is David Cantin, husband of Dina Manzo? Here’s what you need to know:
1. David Cantin Is A Cancer Survivor
Cantin was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2011, which is a cancer of the white blood cells, according to The Asbury Park Press. This type of cancer is treatable by chemotherapy pills, which Cantin took to overcome his illness. However, Cantin didn’t let cancer stop him. According to The Asbury Park Press, Cantin returned to work at his car dealership a week after the diagnosis and ran the Boston Marathon a few weeks later. Cantin is committed to helping others who have cancer and has joined many boards of cancer research foundations.
“I take chemotherapy pills twice a day – two pills every morning and two pills every night,” Cantin said to The Asbury Park Press in 2016, “The reminder of having to take the pills isn’t good. But to me it’s good to look at where I am five years later, 60 months later, 2,000 days later and I’m still able to give.”
In October 2019, Manzo announced that Cantin was cancer-free in an Instagram post for his birthday. In the caption she wrote, “I made a list, I wrapped it around my rose quartz and prayed for my scorpio. 🦂 You’re everything I prayed for and more. I love you @davecantin 💋 Happy Birthday 🎈 Here’s to a lifetime of HAPPY HEALTHY Birthday celebrations together 🥂❤️ #40andLeukemiaFREE 🙏”
2. David Cantin Is A Successful Businessman
According to Cantin’s LinkedIn profile, he is the founder and CEO at Dave Cantin Group. According to their website, the Dave Cantin Group is an automotive dealership merger-and-acquisitions firm. Cantin “has extensive knowledge in analyzing evaluations for dealerships worth and helping negotiate a complete buy/sell transaction. Dave’s specialty is representing platform acquisitions, overseeing multiple dealerships within an individual deal,” according to his bio on the Dave Cantin Group website. Cantin was also featured in Forbes in 2018.
Before founding his own firm, Cantin was the co-owner and vice president of a Hyundai dealership, Brad Benson Auto Group, based in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, according to The Daily Mail.
3. David Cantin And Dina Manzo Were Victims Of Home Invasion
In May 2017, Cantin and Manzo were victims of a home invasion at their home in Holmdel, New Jersey, according to Bravo. They were robbed and beaten by two masked men, who stole jewelry and other items from them. Thankfully, they found the suspect. A man named James Mainello was arrested in May 2019 and charged with seven counts related to the home invasion, Bravo reported.
According to Bravo, Mainello was charged with first-degree robbery; second-degree burglary; second degree aggravated assault; third-degree aggravated assault; third-degree theft; third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; and third-degree criminal restraint.
4. David Cantin Was Married Before & Has Two Children
According to Bravo, Cantin was previously married to a woman named Melissa, but the two separated in 2014 and divorced one year later. The couple had two children together, and they live with their mother on the East Coast. Manzo has one child from her first marriage, Lexi Ioannou, 24. Ioannu made cameos with her mother on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Though the couple has no children together, Manzo revealed to Bravo in 2019 that she had suffered a few miscarriages. On Instagram, when a fan asked her if she wanted more children, Manzo wrote, “Sometimes…I recently lost a few pregnancies but God is in charge not me.”
5. Cantin And Manzo Got Married In Secret
Cantin and Manzo were very private about their marriage. Fans began speculating that the two had actually wed in 2018, after Manzo appeared on an episode of SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, according to People. When Lewis speculated that Manzo may already be married, she said, “I’m not Manzo anymore,” according to People. In the episode, Manzo also revealed that “We’ve always been engaged, we got engaged once, early in our relationship, and then we both realized it was way too early. And then we got engaged again last year.”
Manzo announced their marriage in a May 2019 Instagram post. In the caption, she wrote, The bride wore a dress from her closet, an orange blossom in her hair and carried a Calla Lily from her Malibu Garden. In front of the gorgeous Pacific, surrounded by nature and puppies, they promised to be there in good times and bad. ❤️A simple, meaningful wedding on a day chosen by the stars.💫 … and so it is. #thirdtimesacharm 6•28•17″
Some speculate that 6/28/17 was the date of their wedding.
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