Former Bravo reality star Jackie Warner, 51, claimed she dated superstar personal trainer and TV personality Jillian Michaels, 45, when they were early in their careers. The Work Out alum appeared on the July 15 episode of the podcast “Hot Takes & Deep Dives” with Jess Rothschild, and detailed her alleged relationship with the former Biggest Loser coach. Here are 5 things to know about Jackie.
1. She recalled meeting Jillian when she was 21. Jackie said she met the Just Jillian star at a lesbian bar on Valentine’s Day. “No one was out because it was Valentine’s [Day] and Jillian was sitting across the bar and my friend said, ‘Oh, she’s pretty cute,’” Jackie said on the podcast. “So I saunter over there and try to order a drink. We exchanged numbers and she told me when we got in the car that night that she envisioned me and had several dreams of exactly what I looked like, and she knew that we were going to be quite the item. And we were.”
2. Jackie claimed they dated for more than six years. The pair worked as nightclub promoters, before Jackie opened her gym Sky Sport & Spa and hired Jillian to work for her. She also claimed that she turned down a coaching gig on The Biggest Loser, and instead put Jackie up for the role. “I turned down The Biggest Loser and put her up for it. I couldn’t [do Biggest Loser] because I just opened my million-dollar beautiful gym that was on Work Out,” she said. Jillian went on to land the TV gig, and trained contestants on multiple seasons of the reality show between 2004 and 2013. Jackie added, “Jill was the big mouth trainer and I was more the management behind the scenes. So, I just said, ‘Jill, go to this audition.’ I’ll be honest, I’ve thought about this, she was the more fiery and emotional person between us and that’s what that show required.”
3. She said they split due to entrepreneurial differences. “I told her I’m going to open my own gym and hire doctors to work for me. Her answer to me was, ‘If you don’t make me your 50 percent partner, I will work against you, take all of your clients and open my own gym,’” Jackie claimed. “We broke up when she said that. But, she’s dangerous, so I made her my 50 percent partner. When she got Biggest Loser she never spent one day at the gym. So basically I had to pay her off just to go away.” She added, “She’s a lot to handle. I used to call her Tasmanian devil.”
4. She appeared on Bravo’s Work Out for three seasons. The reality show followed her daily routine, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how she ran her day-to-day business, juggled her personal life, and dealt with her employees’ personal issues. It ran from 2006 to 2008.
5. Jackie has moved back to her native Ohio. The former Los Angeles-based celebrity personal trainer has now moved home to be near family. “I’m tripping out that my Holy Spirit told me out of nowhere on January 23 to move to Ohio and be close to my family and by Feb 29th I was completely moved! Im living out of a suitcase and my moms guest room but I’m completely happy and peaceful. I hope all of you can find that place inside of you that always speaks the truth,” she captioned an Instagram post in February.
