A marriage worthy of a gold medal. Shawn Johnson and Andrew East’s relationship defies even Olympic standards.
The athletic couple met through the former NFL player’s brother Guy East when the gymnast was in London to be a sports commentator for the 2012 Olympics. (Guy, for his part, was competing in the cycling events.)
“He starts to go on this tangent about this little brother of his and how I have to meet him,” Johnson recalled in a 2018 vlog. Andrew, who was attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville at the time, was intrigued by the idea that the gold medalist was thinking of going to the same school.
“@ShawnJohnson I hear you met my brother Guy! Hopefully you can come to Vandy and the Easts could show you what its all about,” Andrew tweeted at Johnson following Guy’s encounter.
The football player then flew to Los Angeles to meet the highly-decorated athlete, who was filming Dancing With the Stars season 15 after Johnson previously won the mirrorball trophy during season 8). The couple went on their first date, and three years later, Andrew popped the question.
The Indiana native proposed to Johnson at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field after she threw the ceremonial first pitch. The romantic moment — which was caught on camera and received thunderous applause from the crowd — saw the DWTS champ leap into her new fiancé’s arms to give a resounding yes. The duo tied the knot the following year.
Throughout all of the happiness in their relationship, the Easts endured a difficult time when Johnson suffered a miscarriage in 2017 while trying to get pregnant. The couple shared their emotional story via their YouTube channel in the hope that other couples going through the similar issue would find comfort that they are not alone.
Two years later, the Iowa native and former Washington Commanders player welcomed their rainbow baby, daughter Drew, who was followed by her little brother, Jett, in July 2021. The twosome named both of their kids after family members — Drew’s moniker from Andrew and Jett’s from one of Johnson’s ancestors. The little boy’s middle name, James, comes from Andrew’s other brother.
The East family, who has over 1 million subscribers on their YouTube channel, frequently share sweet videos and social media posts with fans — documenting everything from their athleticism to cute moments with their kids.
Keep scrolling to see Johnson and Andrew’s complete relationship timeline: