Vanessa Williams became Vanessa Williams-Skrip yesterday when she married Jim Skrip in a July 4 ceremony in New York. The wedding was attended by family and friends. Vanessa and Jim met 3 years ago while vacationing in Egypt. Vanessa spoke about Jim during an interview in April with Madame Noire .
“You never know what you’ll find and where you’ll find it. I was on vacation with my daughter going to Egypt, cruising on the Nile. I wasn’t looking for anything. I’d been alone for a number of years and divorced for 10 years at that time.”
This is the third marriage for the 52-year-old Ugly Betty star. Previously, Vanessa Williams-Skrip was married to Ramon Hervey II and Rick Fox. She has a total of four children with the two ex-husbands.
Vanessa Williams announced that she was engaged to Jim Skrip while she was on the Queen Latifah Show .
“I got engaged. I have had a lot of good things happen while I’ve been on this lovely trip. I turned 50 when we were in rehearsal on Broadway, I just got engaged a couple of weeks ago… It has been a lot of blessings on this trip.”
It sounds as though it was love at first sight for Vanessa and Jim. The newlyweds spent 3 hours together on their first date and fell head over heels for each other. A year-long engagement culminated in yesterday’s wedding.
Williams became a household name when she competed and won Miss America 1984. Vanessa Williams-Skrip became the first African-American woman to win the prestigious crown. Williams’ reign as Miss America came to an abrupt end when a nude photo controversy forced her to resign from fulfilling her duties as Miss America.
A music career would bring Williams back into the spotlight in 1988. Throughout her music career, Vanessa released seven albums and received 15 Grammy Award nominations. She has not won any.
As an actress, Vanessa found success on the stage, in movies, and on television. Being able to be successful in this many different forms of entertainment is not easy to do. Her success is a testament to her talent, drive, and hard working mentality.
Williams was not the only celebrity to wed yesterday. Billy Joel tied the knot for the fourth time.
Hopefully, Vanessa Williams-Skrip “saved the best for last,” and her third marriage is the one that lasts for the rest of her lifetime.
[Image via Nbcbayarea.com]