RHONY: What We Know About Jill Zarin's Boyfriend Gary Brody
Jill Zarin's marriage with her late husband Bobby Zarin was one of the sweetest relationships of "The Real Housewives of New York City." Although he was a man of few words, he clearly doted on Jill and even accompanied her to Scary Island when she crashed the girls' trip during Season 3. "RHONY" fans mourned along with Jill when she announced that Bobby died in 2018. "With the heaviest of hearts, we are devastated to share the news that our beloved Bobby Zarin passed away peacefully today surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer," she said in a statement (via Page Six).
Six months later, Jill was spotted with Gary Brody, and amid talk that she had moved on quickly, she told People, "I don't typically comment on tabloid stories but I felt it was important to set the record straight and let you all know I haven't been dating anyone for six months. I just started accepting a few dinner dates after much thought and support from my close friends and family. I felt Bobby would want me to start to live again." Jill revealed to Bravo that before dying, Bobby told her to keep working and playing tennis. "He knows I love it and he knows that that's probably a good place for me to meet a nice guy and he doesn't want me to be alone," she shared and it was in fact, their mutual love for tennis that brought Jill and Brody together.
Gary Brody and Jill Zarin bonded over tennis
Jill Zarin and Gary Brody's relationship started out as friends who shared a mutual love of tennis. A source told Us Weekly in 2018 that the pair had played the sport "as friends for a long time" and were just "casually hanging out for a few months." Zarin and Brody were first seen together at Wimbledon and a few months later, they were an official couple when they were spotted together at the U.S. Open. In December 2018, Zarin went Instagram official with Brody and shared a post that gave a nod to their love of tennis. "Trivia question 'What is the origin of the term Love in Tennis?'" she asked while posing with Brody in matching tennis outfits.
Tennis isn't the only thing Brody and Zarin have in common. Like the "RHONY" star, Brody is an expert in the retail field. He graduated from Syracuse University and has an MBA in Finance from the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Brody previously worked as the president of Marcraft Apparel Group and is currently a sales specialist at Simple Suit. According to Market Realist, Zarin's boyfriend has an estimated net worth of $25 million, which goes a long way toward paying for the couple's fancy new digs.
Gary Brody and Jill Zarin are living together
A year after dating, Jill Zarin and Gary Brody took the next step and moved in together. Page Six reported that the two snagged a fancy penthouse with a rental price of a whopping $9,995 per month. Zarin and Brody celebrated by throwing a housewarming party that included CNN correspondent Cristina Alesci and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. "They're really happy together, genuinely very happy. I'm so happy for her, she's had such a tough time, and it's so great to see her back on form again," an unnamed friend told the publication.
As for possible wedding bells in the future, Zarin told Us Weekly in 2019, "Oh, you'll have to watch and see what happens. Ask him, right?" Brody teased, "Wedding bells are good, why not?" However, Zarin later shared with the U.S. Sun that she wanted to put things on hold for her daughter, Allyson Shapiro. "We've talked about it but won't do it anytime soon with Covid. I want Ally to get married before me," the "Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" star revealed. While Zarin won't be walking down the aisle anytime soon, she and Brody have fun going to other people's weddings, and in February, Jill posed with her boyfriend on Instagram and wrote, "Our first wedding of 2023 and will be one for the record books!"