Dino Guilmette's story, from Rhode Island to family life with Shayanna Jenkins

Dino Guilmette's story, from Rhode Island to family life with Shayanna Jenkins

Dino Guilmette is an American-Italian businessman and former amateur boxer linked to Shayanna Jenkins. Although he lived privately for years, his relationship with Shayanna thrust him into the public eye. Since then, Guilmette has balanced personal and professional responsibilities with increased public scrutiny.

The late Aaron Hernandez and his fiancée, Shayanna. Dino Guilmette
The late Aaron Hernandez and his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins (L). Dino Guilmette, former boxer, actor, and businessman (R). Photo: @peoplemag, @theamericanmafia (modified by author)
Source: Facebook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Dino Guilmette is a Rhode Island native with a background in amateur boxing, entrepreneurship, and acting.
  • Aside from dating Hernandez’s former fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, he also played football with Hernandez at the University of Florida.
  • Guilmette and Shayanna Jenkins began their relationship after Hernandez’s death, meeting through mutual friends in 2017.
  • Guilmette is the confirmed father of Shayanna Jenkins’s second daughter, Giselle, born in June 2018.

Profile summary

Full name

Dino Guilmette

Boxing name

The Ghost

Gender

Male

Date of birth

11 August 1978

Age

47 years old (as of January 2026)

Zodiac sign

Leo

Place of birth

Cranston, Rhode Island, United States

Residence

Rhode Island, United States

Nationality

American Italian

Ethnicity

White

Religion

Christian

Sexuality

Straight

Height in centimetres

178

Height in feet

5’10’’

Weight in kilograms

154

Weight in pounds

70

Hair colour

Dark brown

Eye colour

Hazel

Father

William Guilmette II (Bill)

Mother

Donna Guilmette

Siblings

8

Relationship status

Dating

Partner

Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez

Children

2

Education

University of Rhode Island

Profession

Entrepreneur, bar owner, former amateur boxer

Social media

Instagram

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Dino Guilmette’s early life and Rhode Island roots

Dino Guilmette is a Rhode Island native who was born on 11 August 1978 to William and Donna Guilmette. Guilmette was born and raised in Cranston, Rhode Island, United States, where he still lives today. He is 47 years old as of January 2026, and his zodiac sign is Leo.

Guilmette is most popularly known for being a former amateur boxer whose life story is intertwined with that of deceased NFL star Aaron Hernandez after his relationship with Shayanna Jenkins came to light.

Five facts about Dino Guilmette
Top five facts about former amateur boxer and actor, Dino Guilmette. Photo: @HollywoodLife on X (Twitter) (modified by author)
Source: Original

Dino Guilmette’s career: From boxing to modelling

As per his LinkedIn profile, Guilmette attended the University of Rhode Island, Feinstein Providence Campus. He graduated with a Master's of Business Administration in Finance in 2000. According to a June 2018 publication by BET, Guilmette played football at the University of Florida. However, it is not clear whether he attended the school.

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Dino is listed on One Model Place as an amateur male editorial, runway, sport, casual, and swimwear model. In his profile, he lists his interests as football, weight training, boxing, and running.

Guilmette trained at the Providence Balletto Gym and entered local boxing events. However, he never became a professional boxer, despite briefly signing on for a small Rhode Island 'Brawl for All' bout.

Other ventures he has been involved in include acting in independent film and theatre projects in the early 2000s. He has also owned and operated bars in Providence.

Who is Dino Guilmette to Aaron Hernandez?

The retired boxer has no family relation to Aaron Hernandez. The only apparent connection between them is that they both played football at the University of Florida.

Aaron Hernandez
Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez during his high school years at Bristol Central High School. Photo: @FilmUpdates
Source: Twitter

The real link in the public narrative is that Guilmette later became the partner of Hernandez’s former fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. After Hernandez’s 2017 conviction and death, media coverage began focusing on Guilmette as the man who fathered Jenkins’s second child.

How did Dino Guilmette and Shayanna Jenkins meet?

Shayanna Jenkins met Dino Guilmette through mutual friends. In an interview with Radar Online, he revealed that they quickly hit it off and soon after began a romantic relationship.

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The couple began dating in 2017, around a year after Hernandez died. Thirteen months after Hernandez's death, Jenkins announced she was pregnant with Guilmette's child through an Instagram post. Although the public did not positively welcome their relationship and the arrival of their daughter, he could not hide his excitement during the Radar Online interview,

I'm going to have my hands full, but I'm happy about it. I'm excited. It's my daughter. She will have two sisters. I have another daughter from a previous relationship, and then there's Shayanna's daughter with Aaron. It's very exciting.
Dino Guilmette seen watching a boxing match outside a boxing ring.
Dino Guilmette pictured outside a boxing ring. Photo: @willguilmette
Source: Instagram

The since-deleted Instagram post shared in May 2018 revealed that Shayanna and her daughter, Avielle, were beyond excited about the new addition to their family, saying:

Many of you have speculated that I may be expecting another miracle, which is very accurate… I wanted to have a moment for myself alone with my daughter… We are beyond excited about the new addition and chapter we will soon begin.

She added,

I couldn’t be a luckier woman to have such a perfect little girl that’s prepared to become the best big sister, and I'm even more blessed to welcome another baby girl to our home. Baby G, we are very excited to meet you!!!

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Guilmette and Jenkins’ daughter, Giselle, was born on 16 June 2018 in Rhode Island. The amateur boxer periodically appears in Instagram pictures of Jenkins' account.

Shayanna Jenkins’ new chapter after Hernandez’s death

After Hernandez’s death, Shayanna Jenkins is focused on raising her two daughters. She prioritised stability and privacy while moving forward.

Jenkins has spoken publicly with affection about Hernandez and defended his character. In a 2017 Dr. Phil interview, she called him “the love of my life” and rejected guilt claims, saying:

I want Aaron to be known as innocent because he was… He was full of life, so sweet, and very lovable, would do anything for anyone... He’s the love of my life. I want him to be known for what he is instead of what people are speculating.

She continues to honour his memory frequently by sharing social media posts of him while building a stable future for her daughters.

Where is Dino Guilmette now?

Dino Guilmette pose sitting with Elizabeth McGraw
Businessman and former amateur boxer Dino Guilmette and Bravo’s Real Housewives of Rhode Island Star Elizabeth McGraw. Photo: @GoLocalProv
Source: Facebook

Dino Guilmette lives in Rhode Island. In recent years, he has reportedly been facing felony charges, including substance-related offences stemming from a state police investigation. These charges are pending in court as of 2025.

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In 2022, he was charged with ten counts, including felony charges, that included a conspiracy to violate the Rhode Island State's Uniform Controlled Substances Act by agreeing to deliver a controlled substance (Lorazepam) to a Real Housewives cast member, Elizabeth McGraw.

FAQs

  1. Who is Dino Guilmette? Dino Guilmette is a Rhode Island native, a former amateur boxer, a businessman, and the partner of Shayanna Jenkins.
  2. Who is Shayanna Jenkins’s second daughter? Shayanna Jenkins’s second daughter is Giselle Hernandez.
  3. Who is the father of Shayanna Jenkins’ second daughter? Giselle Hernandez’s father is Dino Guilmette.
  4. Who is Dino Guilmette to Aaron Hernandez? Dino Guilmette has no personal relationship with Aaron Hernandez beyond dating his former fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins.
  5. How did Dino Guilmette and Shayanna Jenkins meet? Dino and Shayanna Jenkins met through mutual friends after Aaron Hernandez’s death.
  6. Where is Dino Guilmette now? The American businessman lives in Rhode Island.
  7. What was Aaron Hernandez charged with? Aaron Hernandez was charged with first-degree murder for Odin Lloyd’s killing and firearms offences in Massachusetts.

Dino Guilmette maintains a low-profile life, prioritising privacy and stability for his growing family. He shares one daughter, Giselle, with Aaron Hernandez's former fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. Negative public attention continues to follow him, most recently, because of his involvement in a drug-related felony case against him.

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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ciku Njuguna avatar

Ciku Njuguna (Lifestyle writer) Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with more than four years of experience in writing and content creation while working with Legit.ng, Sports Brief and CyberSchool technologies. She has a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics (2018) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Nairobi (2022). Ciku joined Legit.ng in 2024, covering lifestyle content. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and participated in the Google News Initiative training program. Email: ciku.njuguna1@gmail.com

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