Jo De La Rosa life and biography

Johanna de la Rosa, or Jo as she is more commonly known, was born in Lima, Peru. She later relocated to Tustin, California with her parents, when she was only three years old. In 1994, she and her family moved to Mission Viejo because her parents won the California Lottery. This stroke of luck also aided Jo in finishing her studies, graduating from UC Irvine with a degree in English and Comparative Literature. Starting a career in the title insurance industry was her path to meeting Slade Smiley. He was her ticket to the Coto lifestyle, joining the Bravo reality TV series The Real Housewives of Orange County.

On the show, Jo de la Rosa had to adjust to the traditional housewife role that Slade wanted for her. Her active social life had to suffer because of Slade's wish to commit and settle down once more. During the second season of the show, de la Rosa decided to move out of Coto and ended her romantic relationship with Slade Smiley. She later focused on her music career as she left the show.

Growing up in a family of musicians and performers, Jo de la Rosa moved to Los Angeles with a record contract from Immergent Records. While she and Smiley have gone their separate ways concerning their careers, BravoTV brought them back together for a spin-off reality series. Titled Date My Ex: Jo and Slade, it premiered on July 12, 2008. The show focused on the dating life of Jo, who has enlisted the help of Slade Smiley and her two best friends, Myia Ingoldsby and Katy Metz, in finding the right man. Three guys will be competing for the singer's heart, under the watchful eye of Slade, known as Jo's closest friend. Also that year, Jo de la Rosa released her first album, titled Unscripted. Her debut single "You Can't Control Me" has also been aired, and she has continued showcasing her efforts in hip-hop, jazz, singing and theatre.

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