Eva Marcille sounds very happy. You can hear it in her voice.
Early America’s Next Top Model winner turned Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member has a lot to smile about these days–she’s engaged to former Atlanta mayoral candidate Michael Sterling, expecting their first child together (a little boy), and a proud mom to 3-year-old daughter, Marley Rae.
Marcille, who is in the process of launching her own eponymous home decor line, and Sterling got engaged over the Christmas holiday and even with their little bundle of joy on the way, they’ve settled on a 2018 wedding in the new city they call home.
“We fell in love with each other in Atlanta,” the 33-year-old told ESSENCE. “We met in Atlanta and fell in love in Atlanta. My fiance is from Beaumont, Texas, and I’m from Los Angeles so I think it only appropriate for us to actually get married like where we met.”
While she’s over the moon about planning the fairytale wedding of her dreams, she wasn’t expecting Sterling to put a ring on it so soon.
“I am so excited to like start the planning and preparing the process for my wedding. You know, just the whole bridal shower, the party, the dress. I can say that I didn’t anticipate being engaged right now. It came as a surprise. I thought that he would wait a little bit after having the baby but, hey, like they say, if you like it then put a ring on it, right?”
Prior to building her new life with Sterling, the model was once with singer, Kevin McCall with whom she welcomed a daughter, Marley in January 2014. Along with getting ready for her big day, Marcille is helping her little one prepare for her big sister duties–and having the role in the wedding.
“She’s going to be my flower girl and she’s super excited,” she added. “We talk about the wedding often, about her being a part of it and her picking out a fancy dress. She talks about her baby brother every day. The bigger my stomach gets, the more she’s understanding that there’s a baby in there. She’s getting really excited about it and becoming a big sister.”
With all the joy around her, it’s clear that Marcille has moved on with peace in her heart–and it shows, especially towards her ex.
McCall recently made headlines when he alluded to the fact that Black women work too much but Marcille could not care less about his comments.
“We don’t have a relationship”, said Marcille. “He’s blocked on all my social media. I have full custody of my daughter and her dad is Michael Sterling, so he is a blast from the past and a memory.”
Marcille has alreadyfully moved on emotionally too.
“I do not let him affect my day-to-day in any shape, form or fashion,” she continued. “But I do pray him success, and moreso than anything, peace of mind. Marley is the priority, the biggest priority of my life, outside of my newest child and my fiancé. And at the end of the day, despite personal feelings, she deserves a level of stability, tranquility, and sanity. And [that’s] my job as a parent, no matter how hard it is for me to provide that for her, but that’s my job.”
Beautifully said. Catch Marcille on upcoming episodes of the show on Sunday nights on Bravo.