Ask American Profile

Ekaterina Gordeeva, Brad Garrett, Anita Baker

What happened to ice skater Ekaterina Gordeeva? Her partner was her husband, Sergei Grinkov, who died in 1995.
—Manual A., California

Ekaterina “Katia” Gordeeva has performed in a number of televised ice skating shows, including Divas on Ice and Holiday Celebration on Ice. Most recently, she appeared as a special guest star in seven cities with the U.S. tour of Smucker’s Stars on Ice. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 1998 Olympic champion figure skater Ilia Kulik, and her daughters. Daria, 10, is her daughter with Grinkov. Gordeeva and Kulik got married last year and have a young daughter. Gordeeva says she and Kulik are having fun teaching Daria to skate, and they recently enjoyed a family skiing trip. Gordeeva won the gold medal in pairs with Grinkov in 1988 and 1994. After Grinkov died in 1995 of a heart attack, Gordeeva recounted their life together in her book, My Sergei: A Love Story.

Is Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond married? I noticed that he was wearing a ring on a game show. Tell me what you can about him.
—Millie T., Iowa

Brad Garrett, 42, has been married since 1999 to Jill Devin. They have two children. Garrett feels right at home on the hit comedy series since his roots are in stand up comedy. In 1984 he was the first $100,000 grand champion winner in the comedy category on Star Search, which led to his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Last year, Garrett won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy. He has performed in venues across the country and has co-headlined with The Temptations. He’s also worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, and David Copperfield. His television credits include guest-starring roles on Seinfeld, Mad About You, and Roseanne. Film credits include Sweet and Lowdown and Suicide Kings. He also does a lot of voice work for cartoons. The Woodland Hills, Calif., native lives in Los Angeles.

What has happened to singer Anita Baker? I haven’t heard a word about her in some time and I truly love her music.
—Noel C., New York

You might have heard by now that the R&B singer and songwriter kicked off a comeback tour in New York in December and is going back into the recording studio. Baker, 45, hopes to release a new CD later this year. For the last seven years, the Toledo, Ohio, native has put her career on the back burner to raise her two sons, Eddie, 8, and Walter, 9. Baker’s music, which is influenced by jazz, gospel, and pop, defined “quiet storm” R&B in the ’80s and early ’90s. Her last album was Rhythm of Love in 1994, and she was featured on two tracks of Cyrus Chestnut’s self-titled 1998 album. The eight-time Grammy winner’s hits include Sweet Love, Giving You The Best That I Got, and Caught Up In the Rapture. She lives in Detroit with her husband and two sons.

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