J.R. Martinez is going to be a father
He nabbed a mirror ball trophy on “Dancing With the Stars” last month, but the biggest and best prize is yet to come. J.R. Martinez tells PEOPLE exclusively that he and girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones are expecting their first child next spring.
“We found out just last week it’s a girl and we are over the moon” – Martinez (28) says. “Diana has a little baby bump now and it’s the cutest thing ever. With the holidays coming up, this is the biggest and best gift we could get.”
The Iraq war vet and Gonzalez-Jones met when he landed a role on All My Children in 2008. At the time, she was working as an assistant to the soap’s executive producer. The two became close friends, but it wasn’t until last year that the pair decided to take their friendship to the next level.
“We were so good as friends that romantically, we just clicked right away. There was no adjustment period” – Gonzalez-Jones told PEOPLE earlier this year.
Impending fatherhood “is sinking in” Martinez says, admitting that he can’t believe all of the good things that have happened in the past year.
“2011 has been full of a lot of surprises and opportunities and ultimately, a lot of blessings” – says Martinez. “Diana and I were just asking ourselves, ‘How is 2012 going to top 2011?’ Well, we have our answer!”
J.R. Martinez.
J.R. Martinez danced his way to the top on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 13, claiming the coveted mirrorball trophy alongside professional partner Karina Smirnoff. Now, the Iraq war vet is about to receive an even more precious prize — a baby!
The 28-year-old actor and girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones are expecting their first child come spring, according to People.
J.R., who won the hearts of millions of “DWTS” fans this year with his seemingly unending optimism and triumphant story (he survived an IED explosion in Iraq and subsequently underwent 33 surgeries), said the excitement of becoming a father “is sinking in,” but admitted he’s overwhelmed by the tremendous joy this year has brought to him and his family.
In addition to becoming a new daddy, the lovable veteran-turned-actor will serve as Grand Marshal of the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 2.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, J.R. first met Diana when he joined the cast of “All My Children” in 2008, where she was working as the assistant to the soap’s executive producer.
“We were friends, and, you know, it was a workplace, so you don’t want to cross the line. I was respectful of that, and for about two years we were great friends” – J.R. told Access Hollywood Live’s Billy Bush and Kit Hoover during a visit to the show last month.
“Finally, something happened, something clicked, and I just said: ‘[Do] you ever look at me differently than just a friend?’” he continued, with a shy smile. “And she kind of paid attention to it, and here we are! It’s great.”
J.R. Martinez and his girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones are expecting their first child, a daughter, the recent “Dancing With the Stars” winner confirmed on Saturday.
The Iraq War veteran met Gonzalez-Jones after he landed a role on “All My Children” in 2008, when she was working as an assistant to the show’s executive producer.
Martinez (28) and Gonzalez-Jones became good friends on set of the soap opera and their friendship blossomed into romance last year.
The Louisiana native, whose full first name is Jose Rene, was deployed to fight with U.S. forces in Iraq in 2003 and suffered burns to more than 40 percent of his body after a Humvee he was driving hit roadside bomb. He has undergone more than 30 surgeries to repair the damage, which includes burns on his face and legs. Martinez became a motivational speaker and in 2008, began acting in “All My Children.”
Martinez and his partner Karina Smirnoff beat out “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star Rob Kardashian and talk show host Ricki Lake to win the top honors on the dancing competition show. It was also the first win for pro Smirnoff.
“It’s crazy (I said to my mom last night, I was like, regardless of what happens) but still, to think eight and a half years ago, she was helping, teaching me how to walk and now I’ve been learning how to dance for the past 10 weeks” – Martinez told OnTheRedCarpet.com after the show on Nov. 22. “I mean, it’s amazing, the journey. It just shows that life is crazy, but you can make it, man.”