Reflecting on his past relationships, The Valley star Jesse Lally opened up about having a multi-year affair with the late Anna Nicole Smith.
While appearing on Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge’s Two Ts in a Pod podcast, Lally spoke about his connection with Smith, who passed away from a drug overdose in February 2007 at the age of 39.
According to the Bravo personality, he and Smith met at a photoshoot for the dietary supplement Triimspa. When asked if he ever hooked up with her, he said, “For a year or two, yeah.”
Jesse Lally then shared details about the romance. “I would come to L.A. and she’d be in New York every once in a while,” he explained.
“But the story was interesting – we were shooting in Miami [in] 2002… the first time I met her – the first layout was an old James Dean – Marilyn Monroe photo, where Marilyn’s naked on a mattress, and James Dean has no jeans and no shirt on in front of her.”
Recalling how he met the model, Lally said, “I literally walked over with no shirt on, sat down, and she’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Anna Nicole.’ And I’m like, ‘Nice to meet you.’”
Jesse Lally Recalls the Pickup Line He Gave to Anna Nicole Smith on the Photoshoot Set
Jesse Lally then said after the shoot moved out to the beach, he grabbed her and pulled her into the water.
“We were shooting with Antoine Verglas, a famous fashion photographer, and everybody was so pissed ‘cause her hair was wet, her eyelashes, all that stuff and it ended up being what they ended up using.”
Lally revealed both he and Smith were freezing after the beach portion of the shoot. He eventually gave her an interesting pick-up line. “She’s like, ‘Oh my God… I hope I don’t get sick,’” he said. “And I’m like, ‘I have a ton of supplements and vitamins and stuff in my room.’ And I was literally in my room that night.”
Although she and Lally struck up an affair after the shoot, Smith ended up meeting Larry Birkhead in 2003. The couple had a daughter Dannielynn in 2006.
Unfortunately, days after Dannielynn was born, Smith’s first child, Daniel Wayne Smith, died from an accidental drug overdose. He was 20 years old. Less than six months later, Smith herself died from an overdose.
Jesse Lally’s reflection on his time with Smith comes days after he and his wife Michelle announced they are separating.
“The storyline of us working on our marriage is a big part of not only our personal life but also part of the show,” Lally told Entertainment Tonight. “Unfortunately, right now Michelle and I are separated, but we’re co-parenting, focused on [daughter] Isabella.”
He also said that Michelle recently moved out of their house and is living a few blocks away.”You’ll see it unfold throughout the entire season this year.”