Gretchen Rossi Biography

Gretchen Rossi is an American reality TV star and entrepreneur who rose to fame for being a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County from seasons 4 to 8. She returned to the series as a guest member during season 12. After a twelve-year break from the show, she returns as a ‘Friend of the Housewives’ in a recurring capacity in The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19, which premiered on July 10, 2025.

Gretchen Rossi Education

Rossi joined Baylor University in Texas after finishing her high school education. She later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Gretchen Rossi Career

Rossi’s father instilled a passion for colors, textures, and designs when she was young. After graduating from college, she launched her Real Estate and Interior Design career. By 2008, she had landed an exclusive group of agents. Coldwell Banker International recognized her among the top 7% of the world for sales volume and interior design installations.

In June 2008, Rossi received an offer to star in NBC/Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County. She accepted the offer, viewing it as a chance to display her designs to other people. The following year, Rossi transitioned into fashion, accessories, and interior design. During New York Fashion Week in 2009, she debuted her first handbag designs, The Gretchen Christine Collection, working closely with David Manning and his Style360 Company to huge success.

She has a Cosmetics line called Gretchen Christine, which she debuted in 2010. The following year, she debuted Gretchen Christine Swimwear in retail. She made an exclusive deal with Swim Spot retail stores, making her swimwear sell out around the country in less than 7 days. She worked on debuting multiple other categories within the Gretchen Christine collection by the summer of 2024. In 2015, she was mentioned among the top 30 on Twitter’s top 100 Entrepreneurs to watch.

Gretchen Rossi Age

Rossi was born Gretchen Christine Rossi on October 30, 1978, in the United States of America. She is 46 years old as of 2024. Rossi celebrates her birthday on October 30th.

Gretchen Rossi Height

Rossi stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 5 inches.

Gretchen Rossi Family

Rossi was born to Brenda and Scott Forward, a successful designer and engineer. She has two siblings, Ethan and Nicole. Even so, she has not disclosed more information about her parents, especially her father.

Gretchen Rossi Husband/Is Gretchen Rossi with Slade Smiley?

Rossi is currently engaged to Slade Smiley. She wished him a happy 16th anniversary via an Instagram post on February 9, 2025. They have been engaged since RHOC Season 8, when she proposed to him in 2013. The couple has a daughter named Skylar Gray Smiley. Skylar was born on July 10, 2019, and is 6 years old as of 2025. Before the birth of Skylar, they pursued several methods to conceive, including in-vitro fertilization.

Besides Skylar, Slade has two sons, Grayson Smiley and Gavin Smiley. Grayson was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2006. Since then, he underwent 29 surgeries, of which all but eight were brain operations, and six chemotherapy treatments. Despite his tumors being managed for 16 years, the treatments and complications ruined nearly every major system in his body. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 22.

Slade was previously in a relationship with his then-fiancée, Jo De La Rosa. They joined RHOC during its first season. The show followed their relationship and his relationship with his sons for two seasons before they ended their engagement. In 2008, Bravo TV shared that they would have a spin-off series called “Date My Ex.” In 2009, Slade reappeared again on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 5 of as the love interest of Gretchen Christine Rossi.

Gretchen Rossi Jeff Beitzel

Before Smiley, Rossi was engaged to Jeff Beitzel. They appeared on The Real Housewives of Orange County in season 4. Unfortunately, Jeff passed away from cancer during the filming of that season.

Gretchen Rossi Husband/Chris Rossi

Rossi was previously married to Chris Rossi. They got married in January 2004 and divorced in July 2007.

Gretchen Rossi Net Worth

Rossi has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 million – $5 million, which she has earned through being a reality TV star and entrepreneur.

Gretchen Rossi Instagram

Rossi has an active Instagram account that has over 1M followers. CLICK to view her account

Gretchen Rossi The Real Housewives of Orange County(RHOC)

Rossi rose to fame for being a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County from seasons 4 to 8. Before the ninth season, it was revealed that she wasn’t invited back to the show since producers felt that she didn’t have any personal storylines.

Rossi briefly returned to the series as a guest member during the tenth episode of season 12. After a twelve-year break from the show, she returns as a ‘Friend of the Housewives’ in a recurring capacity in The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19, which premiered on July 10, 2025.

Following a 12-year break from RHOC, Rossi returns to the group with her new friends, Jennifer and Katie. However, she finds herself dealing with the same old problem with Tamra. Tension rises when a new story from a questionable source causes a chain reaction, forever changing the dynamics of the friend group. Rossi stars opposite

• Gina Kirschenheiter
• Jennifer Pedranti
• Tamra Judge
• Katie Ginella
• Shannon Storms Beador
• Heather Dubrow
• Emily Simpson