He radiates confidence, beauty and, above all, good vibes. That’s Ricky Martin. Although most thought he was living La vida loca, the truth was hiding his “real self” behind the ego of one of the kings of Latin music. In 2010 when Ricky broke free, his life changed. Partners like Carlos Gonzalez emerged, but the one who conquered him was Jwan Yosef. After four years of marriage, these lovebirds seem stronger than ever, but what is their story? Find out with us.
From Syria to Sweden and the world
Jwan Yosef was born in Syria into a multicultural family in 1984. His father, a Muslim Kurd, and his mother, an Armenian Orthodox Christian. They all decided to emigrate to Sweden to find a better quality of life.
Yosef is a visual artist, he holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Central Saint Martins in London, where he currently resides. He is uninhibited. He uses his body as an instrument to send messages of acceptance, respect and love. This is evidenced by his nudes, art and publications such as the Erotic Romance and DSECTION Magazine.
Jwan Yosef: the proud and empowered queer
“I think it’s a very empowering feeling to be queer… The queer history of the Arab world that we have today goes back thousands of years, and I think it’s beautiful and important, and I embrace it as a modern queer man,” so stated Jwan Yosef to My.Kali Magazineexpressing his position on his sexual identity.
It took Ricky years to come out of the closet, but her husband grew up in a space where it was a normal topic, and if you don’t believe us did you see Jwan’s style in this photo?
Family man
It is well known that Ricky Martin is a family man. Although his parents divorced when he was two years old, the union between them is one of his blessings. It is a similar case with her husband. While Jwan’s parents have been happily married for five decades, togetherness, respect and love are the fundamental pillars of the family.
Jwan Yosef often expresses the pride generated by the home he has built alongside the Grammy winner.
Jwan Yosef and his vision as a father
In keeping with his Middle Eastern roots, Jwan affectionately refers to his father as ‘baba’. The young Syrian-Swedish man breaks paradigms and offers a modern take on fatherhood.
“Sometimes I can be a mother and sometimes I can be a mother. It’s a very organic thing. For my husband. For my kids. We’re two loving parents who play different roles within our family, but sometimes we also trade off… I think it’s a reality that straight people face as well,” Jwan Yosef told My.Kali Magazine.
Rebecca de Alba: girlfriend and confidant
Rebecca and Ricky were one of the most famous couples in the artistic world. But their relationship ended in 2005.
This year, she expressed some words about what happened in an interview with Yordi Rosado: “And what does it matter if it turns out that you fall madly in love with a person who has another sexual preference, but who is faithful and respects you? And what does it matter if a person is gay, if what is worth it is what they are made of, what they bring you, what they give you, the value of their life”.
His great fear: “knowing my sexuality, will I be able to be a father?”
The Puerto Rican singer stated in Out magazine that, having grown up under Christian religious traditions, he found it hard to accept that a gay man could also be a father.
“For many years I dreamed of being a father, and many, many, many, many times I went through this grieving process that I’m gay, I’m a gay man in the closet, and I’m not going to be able to be a dad,” said the singer who added: “Adoption is an option and it’s very nice, but unfortunately for gay men it’s very difficult to adopt in some countries.”
How to choose the right donor?
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin explained how he chose the woman who would end up carrying his children.
“I said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And she replied, ‘Because I’m a very spiritual woman, and I’ve never felt closer to God than in that moment when I can give the gift of life to someone who can’t do it on their own.’” He replied, “You are the one,” the Puerto Rican recalled as part of his telephone interview with the woman who rented his womb.
A family created by surrogacy
Long before Yosef came into his life, Ricky had the goal of having a family no matter what.
In 2008, when she decided to have her first children through surrogacy, rumors about her sexual preference flooded the news headlines. However, she ignored the comments as her dream came true. At the time, Ricky’s husband was finishing his Fine Art studies at the University College of Arts in Stockholm.
The arrival of the twins
“You were in my heart and you are still in my heart… There is a lady that I adore with all my heart and who helped me bring you into this world and she lent me her tummy for you to come and when you were born she put you in my arms,” Ricky replied to one of his twins when asked, “Dad I was in your tummy?”.
Ricky always said he dreamed of having a large family. And it started to become a reality with the arrival of Valentino and Matteo in 2008.
