In a sport where many of the women are attractive, Gabrielle set herself apart from the pack by showcasing her elite talent and skills. She is popularly known as ‘Gabby’ among her friends and the public. She even parlayed her sports fame for the opportunity to act in a few movies. Gabrielle’s passion for her love of Volleyball started when she was in high school and that is when she decided to choose the game as a future profession. She was already blooming in high school which gave her a height advantage to succeed in volleyball. After making her choice of volleyball, there was no looking back for Gabrielle.

In 1997, the magazine Women’s Sports and Fitness named Gabrielle as one of the 20 most influential women in sports. It was a big honor for her to be recognized by her peers and not just men who only appreciated her looks. She is often called one of the best Volleyball players that America has ever seen. Some of her well known movie roles are highlighted by her work in supporting roles in films like ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Cloud Nine’. Film was not the only entertainment venue she dabbled with, she has also appeared in a few reality TV shows like ‘Extreme Makeover Home Edition’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model’. Her involvement in ‘America’s Next Top Model’ was a good fit because she could have certainly had a long modeling career if she had chosen that over volleyball.

Gabrielle graduated from Florida State University after she received and a completed a scholarship for volleyball. She majored in volleyball and communications while attending Florida State. In 1997, she was also inducted into the University’s Hall of Fame for Athletics. The decision to include Gabrielle in the hall of fame was easy for the school because mainstream fame and success. Any university would have been happy to have Gabrielle as a top member of their alumni. Gabrielle has many fond memories of college because her modelling career began while she was still studying in Florida State University. In 1989 a famous female magazine called Elle named Gabrielle as one of the five most beautiful women in the world. She was the perfect combination of beauty and talent. She was also a great role model that set an example for young women around the country.

Gabrielle admits to never having a serious relationship with anyone else before she met her husband. Gabrielle married superstar Hawaiian surfer Laird Hamilton on November 30, 1997. The formed an athletic and attractive couple that the media loved to include in their publications. Her husband, Hamilton is also a very famous “monster wave” surfer in South America. He is regarded as one of the best surfers in the world, regardless of region. Both Gabby and Hamilton are very successful in their respective fields and this makes them one of the most famous celebrity couples in the public eye. It made poetic sense that a woman from the beach sands of volleyball would fall in love with a surfer who dominated the ocean waves. This celebrity couple brought two beautiful daughters into the world.