Who is Gena O’Kelley?
Gena is an American model, television host and actress as well, but is probably best known to the world as the wife of the famous mixed martial artist and actor, Chuck Norris.
Gena O’Kelley Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Gena O’Kelley was born on 10 August 1963 under the Leo zodiac sign, in California USA, the daughter of Annette M. and her husband Alan Gordon O’Kelley. She has three siblings, a brother Eric and two sisters named Elizabeth and Maureen.
She hasn’t disclosed which high school she attended, but it was during her high school years that she became interested in a modeling career. Gena played various sports and was a cheerleader in order to stay fit, which helped her later in her career.
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Career
Gena’s career went under the radar, as at the time she met Chuck, she was already a retired model. However, she received both criticism and praise for her endeavors in the modeling world, though she never permitted those critiques to hinder her career.
She walked away from the modeling world on her own to focus on work on television, and has guest-hosted several popular variety shows, including “Praise” in 2006.
How She Met Chuck Norris?
A chance encounter forever changed her life for the better. Chuck noticed Gena for the first time at a Dallas restaurant in 1997, when he was on a date with another woman.
By chance, Gena made a stage appearance with her friends, and she immediately caught Chuck’s eye. Through his connections, he got her number and the next thing she knew, Gena was on a date with the mixed martial artist and film star.
Relationship and Marriage
Gena and Chuck started going out regularly, and after a while made their romance official. After a year of dating, the two married on 28 November 1998, despite a 23-year age gap between them. They have welcomed twin children together, a boy and girl, Dakota and Danilee Norris, born on 30 August 2001.
Net Worth
As of early 2022, Gena O’Kelley’s net worth has been estimated to be around $1 million, earned largely through her career as a model and television host.
Life-Threatening Illness
Back in 2013, Gena had a scheduled routine MRI scan which went terribly wrong. She received a standardized injection before the MRI scan, but started feeling tremors and burning all over her body. Her symptoms worsened, as she began feeling pain in her ribs, had problems breathing, combined with muscle weakness and joint pain. The doctors had no clue what was happening and put her through numerous tests, including those for Parkinson’s, cancer, and others.
She had to research on her own and realized that her symptoms are similar to those of gadolinium toxicity. Gena’s next step was a visit to a medical center in Reno, Nevada, where she was eventually diagnosed with the aforementioned disease.
Chuck’s wife spent five months in the clinic, going through a number of treatments, with IV always connected. Moreover, she uses a hyperbaric chamber for special treatment, which has helped greatly on her way to recovery.
Until the present day, Gena hasn’t recovered back to full health but, every day is a day closer to a complete recovery.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent model has blonde hair and brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 8ins (1.73m), weighs approximately 140lbs (64kgs), with vital statistics of 38-28-4, bra size 36B.
Lesser Known Facts About Gena O’Kelley
Family Tragedy – Gena’s father, Alan Gordon worked as a security guard at Hewlett-Packard and later Kunde Estate Winery.
He sadly passed away in 2008 from an ailment that was never identified.
She has one failed marriage behind her – Gena’s first husband was Gordon Hinschberger, but there is no information on how long their marriage lasted. While married, she gave birth to their two children, Kelley and Tim.
Gena is a huge animal lover and her favorite animals are cats. She has a pet cat alongside two dogs.
She is a philanthropist and has worked with a number of charity organizations, and has also worked with people helping them lose weight and stay fit by following tips and advice given by her.
In 2017 Gena and Chuck filed a lawsuit against five pharmaceutical companies and distributors, claiming that Gena was poisoned by gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The duo sought $10 million in physical and financial damage. Companies involved are McKesson Corporation, ACIST Medical Systems Inc., and Bracco S.p.A. The lawsuit is yet to be concluded and Norris and his wife have already spent $2 million on their fight.
Gena O’Kelley’s Husband, Chuck Norris Short Bio
Born Carlos Ray Norris on 10 March 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma USA, he’s the son of Ray Dee Norris and his wife Wilma. Of Cherokee and Irish ancestry, Chuck lived with his younger brothers in Oklahoma until he turned 16, when their parents divorced.
Chuck went on to live with his mother and brothers in Prairie Village, Kansas, and Torrance, California for some time, before joining the US Air Force, serving as an Air Policeman, and spending some time in Osan Air Base, South Korea, during which time he got the nickname Chuck. To pass his time, he started training in Tang Soo Do, which became one of his major interests, and obtained a black belt.
After he left the air force, he launched his own martial arts studio, and began competing in martial arts competitions. He didn’t have much success at first, but later won numerous karate championship titles.
Despite his staggering success as a martial artist, he’s best known to the world as an actor in action films.
Chuck made his debut in the film “The Way of the Dragon” (1972), and since then has starred in numerous films, such as “A Force of One”, then as James Braddock in the film franchise “Missing in Action” (1984(, then “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning” (1985), and “Braddock: Missing in Action III”, which came out in 1988.
Moreover, Norris is known as Cordell Walker in the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001), and he recently featured in the TV series “Hawaii Five-0” (2020).
According to sources, Chuck Norris’s net worth has been estimated to be around $70 million, as of early 2022.
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