Who Is Paul Cerrito? Inside the Private Life of Yasmine Bleeth’s Husband

Paul Cerrito is a Michigan-born businessman who has spent more than two decades in nightlife, logistics and the food and hospitality trade. To most of the public, though, he is known for one thing: he is the husband of Yasmine Bleeth, the actress who became a household name in the 1990s as Caroline Holden on Baywatch.

The two met in December 2000 at the Promises treatment center in Malibu, California, and married on August 25, 2002, in Santa Barbara. More than 24 years later, they are still together. In an industry where celebrity marriages often end within a few years, that alone makes their story worth telling.

Yet Cerrito himself has never sought attention. He rarely gives interviews, does not trade on his wife’s fame, and has built his working life far from film sets and red carpets. This article brings together what is publicly known about him: his background, his career, how he met Bleeth, the life the couple has built away from Hollywood, and what can and cannot be said about his finances.

A quick note on sources: Cerrito is a private person, and many websites repeat details about him without evidence. Where a fact comes from reliable reporting, such as Bleeth’s own interviews or major publications, we say so. Where a detail comes only from his professional profiles or from unverified estimates, we flag it clearly.

Paul Cerrito at a Glance

Detail	Information
Full name	Paul Cerrito
Date of birth	July 14, 1970 (widely reported)
Age in 2026	56
Place of birth	Michigan, United States (Detroit area, per several profiles)
Nationality	American
Profession	Businessman, hospitality and food industry professional
Known for	Husband of former Baywatch actress Yasmine Bleeth
Spouse	Yasmine Bleeth (married August 25, 2002)
Children	None
Homes	Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona
Estimated net worth	Not publicly confirmed (see the net worth section)

Who Is Paul Cerrito?

Paul Cerrito is an American entrepreneur whose career has moved through several very different industries. He is not an actor, producer or media personality. His public profile exists almost entirely because of his marriage, and he has kept it that way by choice.

What makes him interesting is the contrast. His wife was once one of the most photographed women on television, with Baywatch drawing a global audience in the hundreds of millions at its peak. Cerrito, by comparison, has built a working life in back offices, kitchens and warehouses. He is the rare celebrity spouse whose story is about steady, ordinary work rather than fame.

Early Life and Michigan Roots

Cerrito was born on July 14, 1970, according to most published profiles. Several sources name his parents as Paul Cerrito Sr. and Victoria Cerrito, though the family has never spoken publicly. He grew up in Michigan, and the Detroit area remains central to his identity. His later charity work focused specifically on families in Detroit, which suggests strong ties to the city.

Little is known about his childhood beyond these basics. He has no public social media presence that discusses his upbringing, and he has not given interviews about his family. That privacy is consistent with the rest of his life.

Education

According to his professional profile, Cerrito studied Hospitality Administration and Management at Arizona State University between 1988 and 1991. The program covers the core skills of the trade: operations, staffing, customer service and the finances of restaurants and venues. It is a fitting choice for someone who would spend his career running businesses that serve the public.

His profile also lists a certificate in Restaurant Management and Food and Beverage Operations from UCLA Extension, earned around 2020. Going back to formal study in his late forties says something about his approach. Rather than coasting on experience, he chose to update his skills as the food industry changed.

The Arizona connection is also worth noting. Decades after his studies there, Arizona would become one of the couple’s two home bases, with a residence in Scottsdale.

Paul Cerrito’s Career: From Nightlife to Food

Cerrito’s career falls into four broad stages. Each one built on skills from the last, and together they show a businessman who adapts rather than stands still.

1. Nightclub owner in Michigan (1990s to 2000s)

Cerrito’s first major venture was in nightlife. Wikipedia’s article on Bleeth and several entertainment outlets describe him as a club owner in Michigan at the time he met Bleeth. His professional profile names the business as Jon Jon’s Cabaret, which it says he opened in 1994 and ran for around 14 years.

Running a late-night venue for that long is demanding work. It involves licensing, security, staffing, cash management and constant customer service. Whatever one thinks of the industry, keeping a business open for well over a decade requires real operational skill.

2. Logistics and freight

After leaving nightlife, Cerrito moved into a completely different field. His profile lists work as a freight broker with Strive Logistics. A freight broker connects companies that need goods moved with the carriers who move them. The job is fast-paced, deadline-driven and built on negotiation, which is very different from running a club.

3. Food and beverage management

Cerrito then returned to hospitality, this time on the food side. His profile lists a role as general manager of BodyFactory, a health-focused food and beverage business in Hollywood. From 2019, he is listed as seafood manager at Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market in Los Angeles, a well-known specialty grocer at the city’s Original Farmers Market.

These roles draw on everything he had learned before: managing staff, controlling stock, handling suppliers and serving demanding customers.

4. dEATroitLOCAL: food with a social mission

In 2014, Cerrito launched dEATroitLOCAL, a food and beverage consulting brand with a charitable angle. The name is a play on “Detroit” and “eat.” According to descriptions of the project, it sold branded clothing and used the proceeds to help feed families in need in Detroit.

The project ties his career to his roots. Detroit has faced well-documented challenges with poverty and access to fresh food, and dEATroitLOCAL was his way of linking his business skills to his home city.

What his career says about him

Stage	Role	Key skills built
Nightlife	Club owner, Michigan	Operations, security, cash flow, staffing
Logistics	Freight broker	Negotiation, supply chains, deadlines
Food and beverage	General manager; seafood manager	Stock control, suppliers, retail service
Social enterprise	Founder, dEATroitLOCAL	Branding, community outreach

The roles after his nightlife years come mainly from his own professional profile and have not been widely covered by the press. They are best read as his self-described career history rather than independently confirmed facts.

Who Is Yasmine Bleeth?

To understand Cerrito’s story, it helps to know who his wife was before they met. Yasmine Bleeth was born on June 14, 1968, in New York City. She began working in front of the camera as a baby, appearing in television commercials, and moved into acting as a teenager.

Her first major break came in daytime television. She played Ryan Fenelli on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope in the mid-1980s and later appeared on the soap One Life to Live. Those roles gave her steady work and early training in the fast pace of television production.

Her career changed completely in 1994, when she joined Baywatch as lifeguard Caroline Holden. The show was then one of the most widely watched series on the planet, broadcast in well over 100 countries. Bleeth quickly became one of its most recognizable faces, appearing on magazine covers and in countless posters.

After leaving Baywatch in 1997, she moved to the police drama Nash Bridges, starring Don Johnson, where she played Caitlin Cross. She also appeared in films and television movies during this period.

Behind the scenes, however, the pressure was building. Bleeth later said that her drug use began during her busiest working years. By 2000, her health had suffered badly, and she made the decision to seek treatment. That decision, made at the lowest point of her career, is what brought her into Paul Cerrito’s life.

How Paul Cerrito Met Yasmine Bleeth

Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth met in December 2000 at Promises, a treatment center in Malibu, California. Bleeth had checked in voluntarily to deal with a cocaine dependency that had badly affected her health and career. Cerrito was also in the program at the same time.

Bleeth has spoken openly about this period, most notably in an April 2003 essay for Glamour. She acknowledged that people in recovery are usually advised not to start a relationship in their first year, especially with someone else in treatment. She and Cerrito, she said, fell for each other straight away anyway.

It was an unlikely start. Most celebrity romances begin at parties, premieres or on set. This one began in a place where both people were at their most vulnerable, which may explain why the bond proved so durable. They knew each other’s struggles from the very first day.

A Relationship Tested Early

The couple’s first year together was not easy. In September 2001, Bleeth was involved in a widely reported incident in Romulus, Michigan, when her car left Interstate 94 while she and Cerrito were heading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The case led to a plea agreement. By early 2004, she had completed the terms of her probation and her record was cleared, as the agreement had set out.

Through that period, Cerrito stayed by her side. Bleeth has credited him with helping her rebuild her life, and she has described him as a central part of her recovery. Rather than walking away when things were hardest, he committed further.

When Did Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth Get Married?

Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth married on August 25, 2002, in Santa Barbara, California. The ceremony was private, with close family and friends. People and Entertainment Weekly both reported the wedding in the days that followed.

The couple had dated for less than two years. It was Bleeth’s first marriage, and in a 2003 interview with TV Guide she said she was deeply in love and had found the man she wanted to spend her life with.

Relationship timeline

Date	Milestone
December 2000	Meet at Promises treatment center, Malibu
September 2001	Bleeth’s widely reported Michigan incident; Cerrito stays by her side
August 25, 2002	Marry in Santa Barbara, California
April 2003	Bleeth writes about her recovery and relationship in Glamour
January 2004	Bleeth completes probation; record cleared
2020s	Still married, living between Los Angeles and Scottsdale

Life Away From Hollywood

After their wedding, Bleeth gradually stepped back from acting, and her screen work largely ended in the early 2000s. Rather than chase a comeback, the couple chose a quiet, settled life together.

They divide their time between two homes: one in Los Angeles, California, and one in Scottsdale, Arizona. Los Angeles keeps them close to friends and to Cerrito’s work in the city’s food scene. Scottsdale offers a calmer pace, warm winters and distance from the entertainment industry.

The couple makes very few public appearances. When photographers do spot them, it is usually during ordinary moments: running errands, walking their dogs or out for a meal. Those photos tend to cause a stir online, mainly because fans who remember Bleeth from the 1990s are curious to see her today.

Why the Couple Chose Privacy

For Bleeth, fame came very young. She started in television commercials as a baby and was a full-time working actress by her teens. By her late twenties, she was on one of the most-watched shows in the world. That kind of exposure, combined with the pressure of the industry, played a part in the problems she later faced.

Stepping away from the spotlight allowed her to protect her health and recovery. For Cerrito, who was never famous to begin with, privacy simply meant continuing to live as he always had. Neither of them has used their marriage as a platform for reality TV, endorsements or tabloid deals.

Does Paul Cerrito Have Children?

No. Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth do not have children, and neither has children from previous relationships. The couple has never publicly explained this choice, and it is not something they owe the public. Some websites falsely claim they have several children; there is no reliable evidence for this.

Cerrito is known to be fond of animals, and the couple’s dogs often appear in the rare photos of them out together.

Is Paul Cerrito on Social Media?

Cerrito has had a personal Instagram account in the past, under the handle @paulcerrito. It has occasionally featured photos with his wife, which outlets in several countries picked up and shared. However, he is not an influencer and does not use social media to promote his marriage. Fans looking for regular updates on the couple will find very little.

Paul Cerrito’s Net Worth

Paul Cerrito’s net worth has never been confirmed. He is a private businessman, not a public figure who files public financial statements, so every figure online is an estimate.

Those estimates vary a lot. Some celebrity sites put his worth at around $500,000. Others suggest $1 million to $2 million. A few go much higher, but without any explanation of how they reached that figure.

The most reasonable reading is this: Cerrito has likely built modest, comfortable wealth from more than two decades of business ownership and salaried management roles. A long-running club, real estate in two states and steady work in the food trade would support a figure in the low millions, but no reliable source has confirmed an exact number.

Yasmine Bleeth’s net worth is often estimated at about $2 million, drawn from her acting and modelling career in the 1980s and 1990s. These figures, too, are estimates rather than confirmed facts. Any claim of a much larger “combined” fortune should be treated with caution.

Person	Commonly reported estimate	Main sources of income
Paul Cerrito	$500,000 to $2 million (unconfirmed)	Nightlife business, management roles, consulting
Yasmine Bleeth	Around $2 million (unconfirmed)	Acting, modelling, residuals

What Paul Cerrito Is Doing Now

As of 2026, Cerrito continues to work in the food and hospitality industry in Los Angeles, according to his professional profile. He and Bleeth remain married and continue to split their time between California and Arizona.

He has stayed out of the news almost entirely. Apart from occasional sightings of the couple and periodic renewed interest in Bleeth’s life after Baywatch, there is little public coverage of him. That appears to be exactly how he wants it.

Lessons From Paul Cerrito’s Story

Cerrito’s life offers a few quiet lessons that go beyond celebrity gossip:

• Reinvention is possible. He moved from nightlife to logistics to food, learning new skills at each step and returning to study in his late forties.
• Support matters in recovery. His long marriage to Bleeth shows how a stable partnership can help someone rebuild after addiction.
• Privacy is a choice. Married to a famous actress, he could easily have sought fame. He chose an ordinary working life instead.
• Roots matter. His Detroit charity project shows a lasting commitment to the place he came from.

Final Thoughts on Paul Cerrito

Paul Cerrito will probably always be described first as “Yasmine Bleeth’s husband.” But the fuller picture is of a Michigan businessman who has worked steadily across several industries, given back to his home city, and stood by his wife through the hardest years of her life.

Their marriage, which began in a treatment center and has now passed 24 years, is one of the more quietly remarkable love stories connected to 1990s television. It is a reminder that some of the most meaningful lives connected to Hollywood are lived well away from it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Paul Cerrito

Who is Paul Cerrito?

Paul Cerrito is an American businessman from Michigan who has worked in nightlife, logistics and the food and hospitality industry. He is best known as the husband of former Baywatch actress Yasmine Bleeth.

How old is Paul Cerrito?

Paul Cerrito was born on July 14, 1970, according to widely published profiles. That makes him 56 years old in 2026.

Where is Paul Cerrito from?

He is from Michigan, with strong ties to the Detroit area. His charity project, dEATroitLOCAL, was focused on helping families in Detroit.

What does Paul Cerrito do for a living?

He works in the food and hospitality industry in Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, he owned a nightclub in Michigan and worked as a freight broker.

How did Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth meet?

They met in December 2000 at the Promises treatment center in Malibu, California, where both were in a recovery program.

When did Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth get married?

They married on August 25, 2002, in a private ceremony in Santa Barbara, California.

Are Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth still married?

Yes. As of 2026, there are no credible reports of a separation or divorce, and they have been married for more than 24 years.

Do Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth have children?

No. The couple has no children, and neither has children from earlier relationships.

Where do Paul Cerrito and Yasmine Bleeth live?

They split their time between Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona.

What is Paul Cerrito’s net worth?

His net worth has not been confirmed. Estimates range from around $500,000 to $2 million, but these figures are not based on public records.

What happened to Yasmine Bleeth?

After her success on Baywatch and Nash Bridges, Bleeth sought treatment for addiction in 2000. She later stepped back from acting and has since lived a private, settled life with Cerrito.

Is Yasmine Bleeth still acting?

She has largely stayed away from acting since the early 2000s and has said she is happy with her life outside Hollywood.

Sources

• Yasmine Bleeth – Wikipedia (meeting at Promises, wedding date and place, homes, no children)
• Who is Paul Cerrito? – Briefly (Michigan background, 2003 TV Guide quote, 2003 Glamour essay)
• Yasmine Bleeth – Cavacopedia (September 2001 Michigan incident)
• Glamour, April 2003 (Bleeth’s essay on her recovery); People and Entertainment Weekly, August 2002 (wedding reports)
• Paul Cerrito’s professional profile (education and later career roles; not independently verified)