CBS Cody Calafiore promotional photo from Big Brother season 22.
Cody Calafiore burst onto our radars in 2014 when he appeared on his first season in the “Big Brother” house. He was the runner-up of season 16. He returned to the “Big Brother” house in 2020 for “Big Brother All-Stars.” He won that season and took home the $500,000 grand prize. In July 2021, he launched a podcast with fellow “Big Brother” alum Derrick Levasseur (and his “Hitmen” alliance partner from 2014) called “The Winner’s Circle.” The podcast discusses all things “Big Brother,” a topic both men are well acquainted with. Calafiore also streams on Twitch while playing Fortnite and Call of Duty.
When Cody appeared on BB16 he was single, which lent itself to his main strategy in that season — flirting with the female houseguests. However, by the time he was asked back for the All-Star season in 2020, he had been in a relationship for years.
Here’s what you need to know about Cody Calafiore’s girlfriend, Cristie LaRatta:
Cristie Is a Cancer Survivor
Cody shares plenty of pictures of Cristie on his Instagram. They’ve been dating since September 2015, according to Bustle, and their relationship got off to a slow start. After meeting in a bar, he messaged Cristie and she ignored him. So a few months later he slid into her DMs one more time, she responded, and the rest is history, the outlet reported.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the photogenic couple. In August 2016, 11 months into their relationship, Cristie was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. She was 23 years old. In 2018, her mother, Monica Gilbert LaRatta, created an online fundraiser for the Rye Brook, New York, chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. On the Facebook fundraising page, Cristie’s mother revealed that her daughter had been feeling tired and sluggish for months before a series of tests revealed the diagnosis. Cristie went through six months of chemotherapy not long after graduating from Montclair State University with a degree in fashion business.
A post on Cody’s Instagram from February 2017 celebrated the fact that Cristie was finished with chemotherapy. He wrote, “It’s insane how in the blink of an eye someone can come along and completely change everything for you in life. 6 months ago my beautiful girlfriend Cristie was diagnosed with cancer. Today I am very happy to say she’s going in for her last chemo treatment and I couldn’t be more proud of the strength and resilience she has shown through this crazy time in her life.”
He continued, “She is such a beautiful girl inside and out and I couldn’t have been more proud of how she fought through this! You are one of the strongest and most unbelievable woman I have ever met and I am truly blessed to be with someone like you! 😍 Today marks the first day of moving on and making this time just a blurred memory! 😘😘”
When Cody competed on BB22, he and Cristie were apart for months — a fact he expressed his displeasure over in live feeds from the season, as Bustle reported.
Cristie has been in remission from her cancer for more than 4 1/2 years.