Vanessa Bryant is the wife of late NBA star Kobe Bryant. Following his tragic demise, the celebrity wife rapidly gained weight. But that is not something surprising. It is almost unimaginable what she went through. In one day, she lost her beloved husband, who was one of the biggest NBA stars, and her daughter. Sadly, fans began commenting on Vanessa Bryant’s weight gain.
What happened? Why did she gain so much weight? What about some of the conspiracy theories? Do they hold any ground? Let’s take a look.
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Get To Know Vanessa
Born Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta in May 1982, in Los Angeles, California, she grew up in a tight-knit family of Mexican and Irish descent. As a young child, Vanessa showed a passion for the arts, mainly in ballet dancing, and modeling.
She grew up with her family in Huntington Beach, California. Vanessa is of Mexican ethnicity, but also German, English, and Irish.
Speaking of her educational background, she attended St. Boniface Parochial School in Los Angeles. Then, she completed her high school education at Marina High School.
We said she had an interest in modeling and ballet dancing. And that was primarily her career before her marriage to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. As a model, she appeared in music videos by Ludacris, Pharrell, Tyrese, and Snoop Dogg.
Her life changed completely when she met NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in 1999. They quickly fell in love and tied the knot in April 2001. At the time, Vanessa was only 18 years old. Throughout the years, their marriage faced a fair share of challenges, including media scrutiny and controversies. For example, during the mid-2000s, Kobe faced sexual allegations. In July 2003, he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old employee.
Kobe admitted to a sexual encounter with his accuser but insisted the sex was consensual. The case was dropped after the accuser refused to testify in court. Vanessa and Kobe had four children together, Natalia Bryant, Gianna Bryant, Bianka Bryant, and Capri Bryant. Their daughter Gigi Bryant was with Kobe in the helicopter accident that cost them their life.
During her time with Kobe, Vanessa focused on charitable organizations, and her own clothing line Mambacita.
Following the death of Kobe, she continued to focus on raising her daughters and preserving Kobe and Gianna’s legacy. She actively engaged in philanthropic endeavors.
The loss devastated Vanessa and her family, but she has shown incredible resilience in the face of adversity.
Mental Health Reason For Her Weight Gain
Speaking of the Vanessa Bryant weight gain story, it was all because of grief and mental health. Since then, the wife of the late NBA star has become a strong advocate of mental health. Kobe and Vanessa’s marriage lasted for 19 years.
The disaster that caused Kobe and his daughter Gigi Bryant their lives completely messed Vanessa up. The disaster affected the lives of Vanessa and her daughters. She has three more daughters.
Nowadays, Vanessa weighs more than before the accident. But it is all mental. It is not easy going through something like Vanessa did.
Everyone who has ever lost a dear one knows the toll of such a thing. It leaves a scar that cannot heal quickly. And it can be reflected in many different ways.
For Vanessa, it reflected in the way she took care of her body. Stress caused her to put on some pounds she didn’t have before. Vanessa has always been curvy, but nowadays, she is a bit bigger than before.
How Much Weight Does She Gain?
According to some sources, Vanessa gained around 40 pounds following the death of her beloved husband. Since then, she has remained unmarried and hasn’t even dated anyone.
You can say she will never date again. Having a marriage with such a huge personality like Kobe Bryant, one who was beloved all over the world, doesn’t leave much room for someone else.
Vanessa’s weight gain was driven by emotional factors. While the former dancer and model hasn’t commented on her body transformation, it is clear she gained some weight.
Bryant’s fans think commenting on her weight is disgusting and sickening. After all, she lost her husband and daughter in 2020, and recently even their family dog.
Some of the comments on social media read, “So unbelievably disrespectful that people chose to focus on Vanessa Bryant’s appearance tonight and not on the WNBA advocacy award in honor of Kobe and Gigi. People are nasty. A person’s weight does not equal their worth. Stop being hateful just because someone’s body has changed”.
Victim Of Body Shaming
When Vanessa Bryant appeared during the 2022 All-Star game, some fans went too far with their body shaming. She and Kobe had four daughters, their youngest Natalia Diamante, Gianna Maria Onore, Bianka Bella, and Capri. Their last one, Capri Bryant, was born in 2019, shortly before Bryant’s demise.
Many fans thought that when she appeared at the NBA All-Star game in 2022, she was pregnant from someone. The conspiracy theory went viral.
And it was sad that people were body-shaming the wife of the late NBA superstar.
Vanesa Health Update
Despite everything, Vanessa seems to be in good health nowadays. She constantly posts on social media, namely Instagram. There, she updates her fans and followers about her personal life and well-being.
Vanessa has used the platform to continue Kobe’s legacy.
During the 2022 All-Star, she presented veteran player Chris Paul with the first-ever Kobe and Gigi Bryant Advocacy Award.
She said, “I have seen first-hand Chris’ appreciation of the WNBA and the game at every level for women and girls, especially in Phoenix and North Carolina, and his ardent support of our game strongly reflects the legacy of Kobe and Gigi. The league is proud to name Chris as the inaugural recipient of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, as he serves as a leader and role model for other professional athletes around growing the future of the game for young girls and all fans”.
Despite the event being all about happy ceremonies, some people were more worried about her weight. Some fans tweeted things like, “Vanessa pregnant or something? Coat looks weird af”, and “Just looks like she put on a lot of weight. Prob from depression”.
For Kobe’s supporters, commenting on her weight is considered repulsive and horrible. One fan wrote, “Better not see any Vanessa disrespect in my tl. Blocking you immediately. Shout out to Vanessa Bryant for being strong and keeping Kobe’s legacy alive! Most inspiring woman I’ve ever witnessed. Kobe Bean I miss you so much and congrats on making the #NBA75”.
Vanessa Bryant’s Net Worth
At the time of his passing, Kobe was one of the richest athletes in the world. His wealth went on to Vanessa. As of September 2023, she is one of the richest women in the world. Vanessa has a net worth of more than $600 million.
