Entertainment

Who is Alex Fine? Meet Cassie Ventura’s husband

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Cassie has been doing just fine with Alex Fine since splitting from Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Shortly after the “Me & U” singer’s on-again, off-again romance with the record executive came to an end in 2018, she debuted her relationship with her personal trainer.

The couple had a whirlwind wedding amid her pregnancy news and are now the parents of two daughters, Frankie and Sunny.

When Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, sued Combs in 2023 for rape, physical abuse and more, Fine showed his support by posting a photo from their wedding day with a red heart emoji.

Although the lawsuit was settled within 24 hours, Cassie and Combs made headlines five months later when leaked surveillance footage showed him viciously beating her in a hotel in 2016.

See Fine’s response to the disturbing video below — and find out more about the fitness expert who captured the “Long Way 2 Go” singer’s heart.

His background

Fine was born on March 12, 1993, in Cincinnati and grew up in Lake Orion, Mich.

He had a “free education for football,” playing for Central Michigan University as a defensive back, he told Vanity Fair in December 2018.

A week and a half before Fine’s graduation, he borrowed $300 to fly to Los Angeles for an interview with Bradley Cooper’s “American Sniper” trainer, Chris Fletcher.

His job

After working with Fletcher, Fine launched Alex Fine Performance in January 2015.

He has since worked with Mark Consuelos and other “Riverdale” alums, including KJ Apa and Charles Melton, as well as Jennifer Aniston, Odell Beckham Jr. and Anwar Hadid.

Fine gushed about the “bond” he develops with A-list clients in 2018, saying, “They never have really spent one-on-one time with someone in a while, just because there’s so many people around them … and that’s what’s interesting about this. That’s why we become close.”

How he met Cassie

Cassie told Vogue in October 2019 that she met Fine at the gym, with The Post reporting that Combs had hired him to be her personal trainer.

The duo made their romance Instagram-official in December 2018 when Cassie posted a snap of them smooching.

The PDA picture came two months after Cassie’s rep confirmed she and Combs had called it quits.

Their relationship milestones

Fine proposed to Cassie in August 2019 while she was pregnant with their first child.

“I knew that Alex was designing a ring, but I honestly wasn’t expecting a super elaborate proposal because we already had the wedding date set,” she told Vogue. “But he planned such a beautiful experience for me.”

The “surprised” actress did not expect Fine to ride in on horseback before his beach proposal.

“When he got down on one knee, everything just stopped,” she recalled. “I felt like I lost my sense of hearing; I just saw his mouth moving, and he said ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ I will never forget how special Alex made me feel that night.”

The couple tied the knot one month later in Malibu, Calif.

“I felt really relaxed during the ceremony,” Cassie gushed. “As soon as I saw Alex, any nerves that I did have went away, and I just couldn’t stop smiling.”

Their family

Cassie revealed her pregnancy via Instagram in June 2019, writing, “Can’t wait to meet our baby girl. Love You Always & Forever.”

Fine wrote a letter to their future daughter at the time, promising to model “a healthy relationship and how you deserve to be treated.”

Frankie arrived in December 2019.

Cassie announced in December 2020 that their family was growing as the then-pregnant star debuted her baby bump in maternity shoot snaps.

Sunny was born in March 2021.

Fine often posts about the little ones on social media, calling his baby girls “the two most perfect chunks” on Father’s Day in June 2023.

The couple revealed in February 2024 that baby No. 3 is on the way with sweet family snaps via Instagram.

His thoughts on Combs

Fine posted a scathing message about “abusers” in May 2024 after CNN published March 2016 footage of Combs kicking Cassie and throwing an object at her.

“Men who hit women aren’t men. Men who enable it and protect those people aren’t me,” he wrote in a “letter to women and children” from “awhile back.”

Fine continued, “Hold the women in your life with the upmost regard. Men who hurt women hate women.”

Combs, who previously denied any wrongdoing when Cassie sued him, issued an apology video at the time.

“I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses,” the rapper said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

Entertainment

Author Cheryl Strayed reveals husband Brian Lindstrom has ‘serious, fatal illness’

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Author Cheryl Strayed has revealed that her husband, filmmaker Brian Lindstrom, has been diagnosed with a “serious, fatal illness.”

The 57-year-old writer, whose memoir “Wild” was adapted into a 2014 film starring Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, apologized to fans as she was forced to cancel her upcoming appearances amid her husband of 25 years’ health battle.

“My beloved husband Brian has been diagnosed with a serious, fatal illness,” she wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“For that reason I had to cancel my writing workshop at Kripalu and also my appearance at Hunter College this week,” Strayed added.

“My apologies to those of you who made plans to be there. I simply cannot do anything but be with my family right now and see to our broken hearts.

“I ask that you hold us in your thoughts, prayers, light and love.”

Strayed said it may feel “emotionally dissonant” to see her posting “cheerful clips” from her podcast, “Mind Over Mountain,” amid the news.

“Those interviews, which I loved doing, were recorded previously, in easier, happier times,” she clarified.

Strayed is the author of “Torch,” “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” “Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar” and “Brave Enough.”

“Tiny Beautiful Things,” based on her advice column, was adapted into a 2023 Hulu series starring Kathryn Hahn, while “Wild” earned Witherspoon an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Strayed during her Pacific Crest Trail hike.

Documentarian Lindstrom is known for directing 2013’s “Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse” and 2022’s “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill.”

He and Strayed also co-directed the 2019 film “We Are Forbidden.”

The couple met in 1995 and shares two adult children, Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom and Carver Strayed Lindstrom.

“Met this beautiful man 27 years ago today — literally half my lifetime ago,” Strayed wrote in a 2022 Facebook post.

“The next day I wrote in my journal: ‘I met a man named Brian Lindstrom last night. I don’t know who he is, but I think he’ll be someone to me.’ Little did I know how right I’d be. And how lucky.”

Strayed has frequently spoken about her husband’s support throughout her career.

“There’s no doing it without him,” she told The Great Discontent in 2012.

“When I was writing ‘Torch,’ he believed in me more than I believed in myself. He’s always, always, always been there for me, every time I needed him. He encourages me. He believes in me.”

“He’s an amazing person and an amazing filmmaker,” she added.

“Many people ask us if we’re jealous of each other or competitive because we’re both artists. We’re always mystified by that because we support each other in every way.”

Entertainment

Patriots QB Drake Maye finally breaks silence on Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini photo scandal

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New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has finally broken his silence on coach Mike Vrabel’s photo scandal with sports reporter Dianna Russini.

“Yeah, we’re here for Coach, we love Coach,” the athlete told WHDH-TV 7News in Boston Wednesday. “What he does for us, what he’s done for us this past year, you can’t speak into words, and just thankful he’s our head coach.”

Maye, 23, added that although he knows Vrabel is “dealing with some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world,” he and his teammates are “here for him.”

“I know he’s gonna come back,” he shared.

The NFL star’s comment comes nearly a month after Page Six released exclusive photos of Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, holding hands and hugging at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona.

The coach and the sportscaster — who are both married to other people — insisted they were joined by other friends at the resort, despite multiple eyewitnesses disputing their claims.

“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response,” Vrabel told us in a statement at the time.

Russini said in her own statement, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”

Despite their denials, Russini was sidelined by the New York Times and then resigned from her position as senior NFL insider at the Athletic.

For his part, Vrabel announced that he would not be with his team for Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to focus on family and personal matters and seek counseling.

A day later, Page Six published photos of Vrabel and Russini cozying up together at a dimly-lit New York City bar in 2020 — six years before their Arizona resort outing.

“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six. “He had a ring on.”

At the time, Mike was already married to his wife, Jen Vrabel, while Russini was set to say “I do” to her now-husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, just six months later.

Following the release of the latest batch of photos, Russini deleted her social media accounts.

Page Six also exclusively reported that the pics prompted Mike and his wife, Jen, to have an emergency 24-hour marriage summit in Park City, Utah.

Mike and Russini each share two children with their respective spouses.

Entertainment

Keke Palmer, Zara Larsson, Teyana Taylor and more

The Billboard Women in Music Awards 2026 took place in Los Angeles Wednesday night and honored Teyana Taylor with the Visionary Award, Zara Larsson with the Breakthrough Award, and Tate McRae with the Hitmaker Award. See what stars like host Keke Palmer, Tyla, Dionne Warwick, and more wore on the red carpet ahead.