Kellie Gerardi Found Out She Was Pregnant the Same Day She Was Asked to Replace Diana Ross on Star of the Seas: 'Surreal' (Exclusive) Janine RubensteinAugust 22, 2025 at 10:24 PM John Nacion/Variety via Getty Kellie Gerardi Kellie Gerardi has had an outofthis world week, but not because of her day j...
- - Kellie Gerardi Found Out She Was Pregnant the Same Day She Was Asked to Replace Diana Ross on Star of the Seas: 'Surreal' (Exclusive)
Janine RubensteinAugust 22, 2025 at 10:24 PM
John Nacion/Variety via Getty
Kellie Gerardi
Kellie Gerardi has had an out-of-this world week, but not because of her day job.
The Virgin Galactic astronaut and influencer, 36, has a new title as of about a week ago. Named Godmother of Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas, the newest and biggest ship in the world, Gerardi entered a new frontier on Aug. 20, when she helped christen the ocean liner during a splashy ceremony in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
But days prior, the Florida native had no clue she'd have such a gig, which was originally assigned to Diana Ross, who dropped out last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. Gerardi also didn't know there was an even bigger surprise in the works.
"For me this week in particular has truly, without exaggeration, been one of the best weeks of my life," Gerardi tells PEOPLE just ahead of the ship's naming ceremony. "Getting a call for something that's such an immense honor like this for the Star of the Seas, and then also after a very long secondary infertility and IVF journey, finding out on that same day that I was pregnant and that this round of IVF worked. It just felt like a little wink from the universe. It just came together so magically."
Kellie Gerardi/Instagram
Astronaut Kellie Gerardi and her daughter on Instagram
Gerardi, who's mom to 7-year-old daughter Delta, has been documenting her fertility struggles on social media.
"My last round of IVF ended in a pretty devastating failure last February," she shares. "I lost the pregnancy at nine weeks and it was terrible. Everything felt very heavy and very dark. And I do credit the community online for rallying around me and helping me tap back into what I feel is innate to me, this relentless positivity and optimism and belief that, 'Hey, it's not a no, it's just a not right now.' "
Currently five weeks pregnant, "I'm sharing everything in real time because I do want to shine a light that one, not every IVF journey ends in a pregnancy," she tells PEOPLE. "And two, I think a lot of women navigate this journey silently while showing up to all of their responsibilities and every other aspect of their life. When this honestly, mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, it becomes A-plot of your life whether you want it to or not."
Royal Caribbean gave Gerardi a major plot twist when they quickly asked her to swap in and replace icon Diana Ross. "The fact that our two names were even in a headline together, both of my parents were separately sending me screenshots and links and I'm like, 'Oh my goodness'."
Moreover, she says, "I was like, 'I hope people are not disappointed'. But in fact it's been such a warm, wonderful, celebratory response. Obviously I wish her the absolute best. I don't know how we got from Diana Ross to Kellie Gerardi, but I'm so grateful to be here."
Albeit last minute, Gerardi, who was recently named USA Today's Woman of Year, proves to be a fitting choice for Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's highly-anticipated second ship in its new Icon class that's billed as The Ultimate Family Vacation.
"When I was drafting my remarks I was realizing how much space and sea have in common," she says. "Both of them kind of represent these vast frontiers and timeless questions, existential questions even, these endless possibilities, the unknown wonders. There's this spirit of adventure and exploration that's at the core of what I'm so excited to celebrate."
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From Left: Jason Liberty, Kellie Girardi, Michael Bayley and Captain Rob Hempstead on the Star of the Seas in August 2025
As for her own exploration, she's preparing to blast off into space again soon. But not before her plans to bring forth new life here on earth.
"So my next space flight is going to be no earlier than the end of 2026 and that's really helpful and part of the reason why this window is so perfect for me to attempt this IVF cycle again." says Gerardi, who'll be flying an entirely new class of spaceship next year. "That gives me this window in time where I'm able to do something, you know, bring life to the world."
While she can't participate in some of the more physically demanding training activities taking place for the journey, she's optimistic it'll all work out, both in space and here on land. "I feel very grateful and hopeful that this timing works out in such a way where I can have my cake and eat it too, so to speak."
on People
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