The iconic supermodel is set to tie the knot with financier Brian Maillian.
Beverly Johnson is engaged! The iconic supermodel is set to tie the knot with financier Brian Maillian, she announced in an interview with People on Wednesday.
Johnson -- the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974 -- notes that she and Maillian have lots of similarities. She also shares that their relationship was the first time she's ever dated someone so close to her age. She is 67, while Maillian is 70.
"We know the same songs and we've lived through a lot of the same things," she tells the magazine. "As I was breaking boundaries in the fashion industry, he was doing the same on Wall Street."
"Just finding the love of my life at this point in my life has been amazing," she adds.
Johnson has been married twice before. She married real estate agent Billy Potter in 1971, and they split in 1974. She later married music producer Danny Sims in 1977, though they split in 1979. Johnson and Sims share a daughter, 41-year-old Anansa.
The model says she didn't think she would tie the knot for a third time.
"I was like how the heck did that happen?" she says of her engagement. "I was saying I'm never going to get married again."
Johnson also shares that instead of a diamond ring, she asked her fiancé to buy a house instead, which is what they ended up doing.
Last month, Johnson gushed about Maillian in an Instagram post and credited him for coming up with "Beverly Johnson Rule." The model proposed the rule in an op-ed for The Washington Post, in which she discussed discrimination in the fashion industry and in Vogue.
"I propose the 'Beverly Johnson Rule' for Condé Nast, similar to the Rooney Rule in the NFL that mandates that a diverse set of candidates must be interviewed for any open coaching and front office position," she wrote. "The 'Beverly Johnson Rule' would require at least two Black professionals to be meaningfully interviewed for influential positions. This rule would be especially relevant to boards of directors, C-suite executives, top editorial positions and other influential roles."
In her Instagram post, Johnson called Maillian her "love" and said she prayed for a man like him.
"My love Brian Maillian a brilliant trailblazer in the financial world came up with 'The Beverly Johnson Rule,'" she wrote. "I prayed for a wonderful caring man to come into my life 9 years ago and God delivered thank you God ♥️??? #grateful #humility #thebeverlyjohnsonrule Love you Brian #thank you ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️."
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