Pretty, young New Jersey hairdresser spots cute boy-band member while on a beach vacation, and love takes bloom. Sounds like a perfect television sitcom, but “Married to Jonas,” starring pop sensation Kevin Jonas, 25, and Danielle Deleasa, 26 (that young hairdresser) is definitely a reality show. As cameras follow them around in their Denville home, real-life struggles – including their desire to get pregnant, fitting in with the in-laws and Dani’s battle with anxiety – are played out on E! television for the world to see.

Married to Jonas 2While some newlyweds might not want their lives chronicled on TV, the young couple is comfortable with their privacy exposed. “It was a good opportunity that came along. We were honored that they asked,” says Kevin, the oldest of the popular Jonas Brothers. “It was something we were able to do together, and it turns out that it brought us really close. Having the cameras around sometimes is very difficult, but it makes you talk about everything and speak about every little detail. After a while the cameras seem to disappear, and you forget they are there.”

“We find that we talk a lot more and we get to work together, so I don’t always have to miss him,” adds Dani. “We have gotten to do things like go to Italy for the show.”

Most of season two is already in the can, and the new season airs this month. During the three-month shoot, cameras chronicled the couples’ lives, including the Jonas Brothers’ South American Tour.

“Typically the camera crew arrives in the morning. They catch us getting ready and follow us until ten or eleven o’clock unless we have something going on late,” says Kevin. “Anytime we have a conversation that’s heated or there’s something bothering us, it’s fine to have it on camera, because the audience is going to see what the situation is at the time.”

Dani’s struggles with anxiety were documented during last year’s inaugural season. “Every day I’m working at it,” she admits. “I am reading a lot of books and talking myself out of certain situations I may get anxious in. I am making progress.”

She has been determined to get her anxiety under control before trying to get pregnant.

Photo by Debbie Wong 2012“How many kids we want is a problem conversation,” jokes Kevin. “I would only have two and she would have four. She’s going to win. She’ll say we’ll have three, but that means we’ll have four!”

The couple seems unconcerned that the world knows they are tying to get pregnant. “I think that’s something people our age who have been married over three years talk about, so it’s something people can relate to,” reasons Kevin. “It’s understandable for them to see what we’re doing and what we’re going through.”

Though Kevin became a celebrity in 2006 with the release of the first Jonas Brothers’ album “It’s About Time,” the spotlight is newer to Dani. Both say they remain squarely grounded, more focused on living day-to-day than worrying about celebrity.

“It’s very hard to see him as a celebrity,” says Dani. “There are a lot of things that come with his life that you get used to. When you love somebody it doesn’t matter what you have to go through. There are some great things I probably wouldn’t have done if I didn’t meet him.”

Dani is trying to get used to her own celebrity, especially unkind comments she has read about herself. “It feels really weird actually,” she admits. “I’m just a regular girl, and I don’t feel any different. I just want to talk to everyone who comes up to me and have a normal conversation. I don’t read a lot of stuff people say about me because I want to keep a positive mind with what I deal with every day. Now that the TV show is happening, people are seeing who I am really rather than assuming and making things up online. I’m enjoying it. It’s fun.”

Kevin is happy to be on the road with his brothers after a two-year hiatus. “Each one of us is an individual within this group, and each one of us brings different things to this band,” he says. “When it comes down to the brotherly bond, it’s only gotten better as we’ve gotten older and more mature.”

Both Kevin and Dani were born and raised in New Jersey, so it was natural for them to establish their home here. “We didn’t plan to live in Denville, but we found a house that we loved and knew it was right, so we went for it,” says Kevin, noting that Dani’s family lives nearby. “If it turned out that Dani didn’t end up coming on the road every single time with me, she would have support from her family locally.”

“I love New Jersey, because I’m with my family, and it also gives us more of a normal life,” adds Dani.

The pair met while both their families were vacationing in the Bahamas in 2007. “I was on the beach in the mode of ‘just give me sun,’” recalls Dani. “I didn’t want to be bothered by a boy I’d never see again. He was a gentleman, and when I got home he called my phone and my face just lit up. My mom knew I liked this boy.”

Photo by Rena Schild 2011Since marrying in December 2009, the couple try to be together whenever possible and strive to keep their romance alive. Tattoo art is one of their favorite hobbies. “We are tattoo collectors,” says Kevin. “That’s something we love to do. I have four now and Dani’s got a couple. I’ve got one with her name on my ring finger.”

“I have doves on my ribs and the word faith in my grandmother’s handwriting underneath the doves, because she is very special to me,” says Dani.

The couple’s romantic side also shows through in their letter writing, mostly a lost art in today’s electronic media age. “We’ve always written letters in our relationship, especially when we were dating,” says Kevin. “She’ll send me a letter on the road and when you do that rather than an email or text it shows the extra effort.”

Dani spent several weeks with Kevin during his recent month-long South American tour with the Jonas Brothers.

“The trip’s been awesome,” Dani says. “I like being back out on the road, hanging out with the band and seeing them play. Before I came down here it was hard being apart, because we got so used to being together every day. So not seeing your best friend weighs on your heart.”

Dani has also taken on a new role with the band. “There are two girls that play on stage with us, and she’s actually been doing their hair every night,” boasts Kevin about his wife’s talents. “That’s really cool.”

The Jonas Brothers recently went back to high school to shoot the video to their new single Pom Poms. “We wanted to be organic and shoot in a place in New Orleans that had character,” explains Kevin. “It was high energy and gave us a great feel for where we’re headed with our next record. We wanted to do this on our own, and Nick [Kevin’s 20-year-old brother] actually produced the whole thing – we don’t have a record label at the moment.”

After the tour, Kevin and Dani returned home to New Jersey in time for the season premiere of “Married to Jonas.”

“There are moments when you realize you’re not doing something that’s very normal, and our life sometimes seems completely ridiculous,” says Kevin.

“But,” adds Dani, “we both keep each other grounded.”

April 2013
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