Wikipedia Biography / Profile Background
Introduction : Family, Parents & Bio
- Manuela Testolini is a noted charitable worker, who is best known for her first marriage to music icon Prince and her second marriage to Eric Benet.
- Manuela was born on September 19, 1976, in Toronto, Canada.
- She was a talented dancer from a young age, often performing for her family.
- With the majority of her family living in Toronto, she still considers it to be home.
Marriage to Prince :
- In 2001, Manuela married pop singer Prince on Christmas Day.
- The two had met when Manuela was working at Love4One Another, a charity owned by Prince.
- The wedding took place shortly after his divorce from his first wife, Mayte Garcia, and they lived together in Toronto to be closer to her family.
- At the time of the wedding, she was 24, and the singer was 43.
- For the length of the marriage, she took Prince’s last name, Nelson.
- In 2007, the two filed for divorce, and Manuela restored her last name to Testolini. Both parties stated it was an amicable divorce, and they remained friends until Prince’s death from a painkiller overdose in 2016.
Manuela Testolini Net Worth & Spending Controversies :
It was long rumored that the Prince & Manuela were extremely lavish with money throughout the marriage, spending much of Prince’s fortune. Examples of this include:
- Manuela hiring a $5000 / day stylist to do her hair and makeup whenever the two attended public events.
- Frequently hosting parties for their friends, spending $50,000 minimum on food, beverages and entertainment.
- The couple had open accounts with Gucci, Valentino and Versace, with Prince refusing to put a limit on what Manuela was allowed to spend.
Second Marriage to Eric Benet & Kids :
- In 2009, Manuela began dating R&B and soul singer Eric Benet.
- On July 31st 2011, the two were married, and Manuela became a stepmother to Eric’s daughter India (born in 1991) with Eric’s late girlfriend Tami Marie Stauff.
- Manuela gave birth to the couples first child on 21st December 2011, a daughter named Lucia Bella Benét.
- Lucia was followed by sister Amoura Lynn Benét in July 2014.
Career and Charity Work :
- Manuela was famously working as a consultant with the charity organisation Love4OneAnother when she met first husband Prince.
- She has continued to volunteer for the organisation since leaving it in a full-time capacity in 2004.
- Started her own production company Gamillah, who mostly work on movies in her native Canada.
- Through Gamilla, she has also released a line of designer scented candles.
- She has said that she never particularly liked the spotlight that came with being Prince’s wife, but she was grateful for the attention it bought her business and charities.