Kelly Kelly, a former ECW Star, WWE Divas champion and the first ever woman to win the 24/7 championship, She has done it all in the world of professional wrestling.
Throughout her WWE career, which spanned from 2006 to 2012, Kelly was one of the most popular female superstars. Known for her bold looks, captivating presence, and undeniable athletic ability, she quickly became a fan favorite. Whether performing high-energy matches in the ring or making memorable entrances, her larger-than-life persona made her a standout talent. To many in the WWE Universe, she was more than just a performer– She was a dream girl. In fact her persona aligned with her real world name, Barbie Blank.
Despite stepping away from the ring in 2012, Kelly’s influence on professional wrestling remains strong. Her return appearances and continued involvement in WWE events have kept her close to the hearts of her fans. While many may think they know all there is to know about the glamorous superstar, Kelly’s life and career have more layers than meet the eye. Beyond the bright lights and roaring crowds, there are facets of her journey that may surprise even her most loyal supporters.
So here are 5 surprising Secrets of Kelly Kelly that you most probably did not know.
Early Life
Kelly Kelly aka Barbie Blank, never imagined she would one day become a professional wrestler. As a child, her dreams were entirely different—at just six years old, she aspired to be an Olympian, dedicating herself to gymnastics but fate had some other plans.
In an interview, Kelly revealed that when she was just 9 years old, while practicing gymnastics at home, she was standing on a bedpost, balancing on one leg and suddenly she fell and the post went through breaking her tailbone. She was then in the hospital for three months and was consistently bleeding internally.
After the injury, things were never the same for Kelly. The agility and movement she once had were now limited, and she had to come to terms with the fact that her gymnastics career was over. Instead of spending her time in the gym 24/7, she made a decision to enjoy her childhood with her friends.
However, her passion for sports didn’t disappear and transitioned into cheerleading, tennis and swimming. As a teenager, she began modeling and worked as a model for Venus Swimwear and Hawaiian Tropic.
How Did She Get Into WWE?
While many wrestlers spend years grinding through the independent circuit, working their way up to WWE, Kelly Kelly’s journey was quite different. Her path into the world of professional wrestling came not through years of wrestling experience, but through modeling.
At the time, Kelly Kelly, was working as a model for a bikini catalog called Venus Swimwear. It was during one of these modeling gigs that she caught the attention of John Laurinaitis, a WWE executive. Laurinaitis had approached the head of the modeling agency, looking for athletic and beautiful women to join WWE’s growing roster of female talent. The agent sent him photos of several models, and two women among them stood out—Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox.
Both women were invited to a WWE tryout in Atlanta and after just one tryout, Kelly and Alicia were offered contracts and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where they would begin their wrestling training together. The transition from modeling to wrestling for Kelly had happened overnight, but her natural athleticism helped her adapt to the world of professional wrestling. The pair lived and trained side by side, supporting each other as they learned the craft.
Kelly Kelly was just 19 years old when she was selected to join WWE and just within a few months she made her debut on the main roster, launching a career that would soon make her one of the most recognizable faces in professional wrestling.
Randy Orton Controversy
Back in 2011, Randy Orton sparked a controversy during his appearance on a Radio Show when he made an inappropriate comment about Kelly Kelly. On-air, Orton claimed that Kelly was “the easiest to sleep with,” even suggesting that it only took “a little method acting” to do so.
He went further, mentioning that he could easily name 10 different superstars on the roster who had slept with her and Before he could list names, the hosts interrupted saying that they would take a guess.
The list was really big and surprising, including everyone from the giant’s such as Kane, Big Show to Chris Jericho, Edge, CM Punk and so on. The interview quickly went viral, causing a storm of backlash. Fans, WWE management, and fellow wrestlers were outraged by Orton’s remarks, criticizing him for publicly dragging Kelly’s personal life into the spotlight. The backlash forced Orton to issue a public apology on Twitter.
Randy tweeted, “Yesterday I put my foot in my mouth and I need to try my best to make it right. I owe Kelly Kelly an apology. The fact that she has dated a few guys I work with doesn’t make her a bad person, and is also none of my or anyone else’s business. Yesterday I got caught up in a live radio interview and brought Kelly’s personal life into it. It was completely uncalled for. Kelly I hope one day you can forgive me. I do however understand if that doesn’t happen. Please everyone trash me all you want, but please drop this topic out of respect for Barb.”
While Orton’s apology sought to make amends, many fans and insiders were shocked that he faced no disciplinary action from WWE. Given his status at the time as one of WWE’s biggest stars, it appeared that he received leniency, which led to speculation that if another superstar had made such comments, they likely would have been suspended or punished.
Divorce
2011 was a very special year for Kelly Kelly, marking two significant achievements in her life and career. That year, she captured her first and only WWE Divas Championship, defeating Brie Bella after winning a fan vote on Raw, which granted her the opportunity to challenge for the title. The victory solidified her as one of WWE’s top female superstars. Additionally, Kelly made her debut on Maxim’s Hot 100 list, ranking 82nd and was featured on the front and back covers of the magazine.
But what truly made 2011 special for Kelly was meeting the love of her life, former NHL defenseman Sheldon Souray, at a Maxim Hot 100 party. Kelly later shared in an interview that after that night, the two were inseparable. They dated for several years, building a strong relationship that culminated in their marriage in February 2016. The couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Cabo, Mexico, surrounded by friends and family. Reflecting on the day, Kelly said, “I couldn’t be happier. Tonight was the most magical, incredible night and I’m officially Mrs. Souray. I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have married my best friend.”
Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. In October 2017, Kelly and Souray announced their decision to split, signaling the end of their relationship. The couple also removed many of their photos together from Instagram, and Kelly was soon spotted dating again.
IVF
After her divorce in 2017, Kelly found love again with singer-songwriter Cole Swindell in 2019. The couple made their first public appearance at the Academy of Country Music Awards but parted ways just three months later.
However it wouldn’t be long before Kelly would find love again. On May 29, 2020, she got engaged to bodybuilder Joe Coba in a romantic proposal in Sedona, Arizona. Less than a year later, on April 9, 2021, the two were married in a beautiful ceremony in Oak Glen, California, which was featured in Brides magazine.
Shortly after their wedding, Kelly became pregnant. Sadly, she experienced a heartbreaking miscarriage in August 2021, a devastating moment for her and Joe. Determined to start a family, they continued trying for another baby, but Kelly faced ongoing pregnancy challenges. This difficult period left her feeling defeated and questioning her ability to conceive naturally. After months of frustration, she sought the help of Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, an IVF specialist based in San Francisco.
Reflecting on her struggles, Kelly shared, “I just feel this real sense of relief because you do think, as a woman, you’re like, ‘I’m meant to be able to carry a child.’ For so long I have been telling my body to do something, and it’ll do it. And I feel like I was so hopeless at that moment that I couldn’t control this, and it was so frustrating.”
Kelly said she felt she wanted to be open about her journey as other women going through something similar could relate to it.
“Women, a lot of the time, don’t talk about it. And they are looked down upon. ‘Oh my, I have to resort to IVF because I can’t get pregnant and I don’t want people to know that. I want people to think I am perfect and everything is great’. And I was like, ‘I want to take these women along with me.”
And finally in September 2023, Kelly gave birth to twins, Son Jaxon and daughter Brooklyn. Her openness about her IVF journey has inspired countless women who are not able to get pregnant naturally know that there is a light at the end of tunnel and IVF doesn’t make them any less of a woman.
Also Read: 5 Liv Morgan’s Surprising Facts That You Did Not Knew!