From a teenage pageant winner in Houston to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway, Jilly Anais has built an entertainment career that extends well beyond her marriage to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Anais won Miss Teen Houston in 2011 before moving to Los Angeles at 18, where she pursued music, acting and modelling while developing her own business ventures. Her modelling career later brought her to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway in 2024, followed by a place among the six finalists in the publication's 2025 Swim Search.
A Pageant Queen From Houston
Jilly Anais Moor was born in Houston on 2 January 1996. Her public life started early: she won Miss Teen Houston in 2011, then moved to Los Angeles at 18 to chase a career in entertainment, according to SI.com.
That career never settled into one lane. Anais has released more than a dozen songs, with some of her music videos drawing millions of views on YouTube, and has appeared on Wild 'N Out, Rosewood and Real Husbands of Hollywood. In 2023, she joined Nick Cannon's Future Superstar Tour, performing across 24 cities in the US and Canada. She's also built out a business side, launching a fragrance called Boss Babe and publishing two cookbooks, She Cooks Too! and This Boss Babe Can Cookbook.
Her Latest Turn on the SI Swimsuit Runway
Anais made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway debut in 2024, then returned in 2025 as one of six Swim Search finalists, an open casting call that draws thousands of entries annually. Her most recent walk came on 31 May 2025 at Miami's W South Beach during SI Swimsuit's Swim Week events.
For the 2025 show, Anais wore a navy strapless Roxy suit paired with a Denimcratic bolero and a leopard-print hat from Zandria, then changed into a triangle string bikini from Lybethras for a separate look, according to SI Swimsuit's own coverage. She also posed on the runway showing off her engagement ring, which she'd received just months earlier. Fitness instructor Tunde Oyeneyin ultimately won the 2025 Swim Search that August, earning a rookie spot in the 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue; Anais did not win and did not receive that feature.
Anais has more than 2 million followers on Instagram, where swimsuit photos from her shoots and vacations regularly circulate well after they were first posted.
How She Met Deshaun Watson
Anais and Watson didn't meet at a game or an industry event. According to accounts of their relationship, the two spotted each other while dining separately at a Los Angeles restaurant in 2019, then connected on Instagram a few days later. Their first date was unconventional: Anais already had a morning hot yoga class on her schedule, so Watson simply joined her, followed by a late lunch together. 'We started off as best friends,' Watson later said. They began officially dating on 3 July 2019.
What followed was a turbulent stretch for Watson's career. He requested a trade from the Houston Texans in 2021, the same year the first of what became 27 civil lawsuits were filed against him between 2021 and 2024, accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage appointments. Watson denied wrongdoing. Two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on criminal charges, and most of the lawsuits were settled by 2022.
The final two cases were dismissed with prejudice in February 2026, according to the Houston Chronicle, closing out the litigation entirely; a dismissal does not constitute a finding that the underlying allegations were true or false. In 2022, the Texans traded Watson to the Browns, who signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, and the NFL suspended him for 11 games and fined him $5 million following its own investigation.
Anais remained publicly supportive throughout, appearing at games and sharing their life even as the scrutiny intensified.
An Engagement, Then a Wedding
Watson proposed on a beach in March 2025, with red roses and a diamond ring reportedly worth more than $2 million. The couple announced the engagement on Instagram on 16 March, captioning the post 'Mrs. Watson Loading...'
They married in Miami on 3 July 2025, exactly six years after they began dating. The wedding followed Anais' appearance at the SI Swimsuit runway in May, making 2025 a particularly significant year in both her personal life and modelling career. Sports Illustrated had confirmed ahead of the wedding that the couple planned to marry on their anniversary.
Anais' Career Beyond Her Marriage
While Anais is often identified through her relationship with Watson, her career predates their relationship and spans several areas of entertainment. SI describes her as an actress, musician and entrepreneur, with her work including television appearances, recorded music, a fragrance business and cookbooks.
Her 2025 Swim Search appearance also expanded her modelling profile. Although she did not receive the rookie spot for the 2026 SI Swimsuit issue, she remained part of the publication's runway and Swim Search programme. Anais continues to maintain a substantial social media following while pursuing work across fashion, entertainment and business.
