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SI Swimsuit model Camille Kostek and Rob Gronkowski are 'always keeping busy' after his NFL retirement

7 February 2025 at 19:28

NEW ORLEANS — SI Swimsuit model Camille Kostek and Rob Gronkowski are thriving, two years into the former NFL tight end's retirement. 

Ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, the former New England Patriots cheerleader and Jena Sims, the wife of professional golfer Brooks Koepka, spoke with Fox News Digital. Kostek explained what life in retirement looks like with Gronk, now a sports analyst for FOX.

"He's stepped into this next chapter of his life, but he's so busy with FOX. … I mean, the guy has a five-hour pregame show on Super Bowl Sunday. Halftime show. Postgame show. … We're always doing something new.

"We're always finding something to challenge us. We're always keeping busy, but it's fun. Running around, city to city, doing all of our things and getting to come together," Kostek said.

SI SWIMSUIT MODEL CAMILLE KOSTEK BROKE THIS NFL RULE FOR ROB GRONKOWSKI

Kostek shared that she and Gronkowski try to spend as much time as they can with their French bulldog, Ralphie.

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On Friday, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Kostek, Sims, Christen Goff and Katie Austin hosted a special SiriusXM broadcast on Media Row ahead of the Super Bowl. The game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will be played Sunday in New Orleans.

WATCH: Camille Kostek sheds light on life with Rob Gronkowski during his NFL retirement

Kostek was first linked to Gronkowski in 2015. They first met in 2013 when the model was a cheerleader and Gronkowski was in his third season with the New England Patriots.

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In May, Kostek revealed to Fox News Digital the NFL rule she broke to be in a relationship with Gronkowski.

"There is that rule where [you] cannot date the players," Kostek told Fox News Digital at the time. "I broke that one, but I kept it a secret for a little while. It was worth it in the end."

Kostek said the secret behind their lasting romance is surprisingly simple.

"We read our calendars to each other," she chuckled. "We don’t spend every waking moment together, so it’s exciting for us to get on the phone. It’s a common thing weekly to get on the phone together when we’re in different states and put out our calendars.

"It was my sister’s wedding in St. Thomas, and we had our calendars together. We were down on the beach, and I said, ‘I have the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch. It’s a big one. It’s the Legends issue. So, I’m going to be in New York for the first half of the week and then the second half of the week in Miami. And he’s like, ‘Perfect, I have a podcast to record in New York. I’ll be there for your event.’ And I’m like, ‘Perfect.’"

"It’s exciting when we can line up our schedules," Kostek said. "We have our press week, but then we squeeze in a dinner together or even just a bagel together on a park bench and make it a romantic movie, even if it’s 30 minutes. But I think that’s what keeps it alive. We both are just so supportive of each other, whether we’re afar or together.

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"We get so excited even just going to a charity event," she added. "We did a gala recently where we both dressed up. We looked at each other, and we were like, ‘When was the last time we got dressed up together?’ And he was like, ‘I guess this is a date.’ And I said, ‘It’s a date.’

"We always look forward to our schedules [matching]. Whenever we both find time in our schedule where we have a week off, we book a trip. We’re thinking about going to Greece later in July. Now we’re just so excited about that. It will be our romantic time. In the meantime, we’re having fun being a dog mom and dad and being on the go," she said in May 2024.

Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.

Hegseth was 'incredibly talented, battle-proven leader,' military evaluations show

13 January 2025 at 14:12

EXCLUSIVE – President-elect Trump's nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was described as an "incredibly talented, battle-proven leader," according to a copy of military evaluations obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Hegseth is set to face a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, where lawmakers are expected to grill the 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host on his ability to lead the Department of Defense. A leading critic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military, Hegseth has been under scrutiny in recent weeks over his qualifications.

Fox News obtained copies of past performance evaluations describing Hegseth's "outstanding" leadership skills over the years of his military service, including deployments to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Hegseth deployed with the New Jersey National Guard to Guantánamo Bay, where he was leader of a 39-man Air Assault Infantry Rifle platoon capable of deploying anywhere within the world within 36 hours.

In an officer evaluation report covering April 2005 to January 2006, Hegseth received "outstanding performance" and was described as "an incredibly talented, battle-proven leader." 

HUNDREDS OF VETERANS TO DESCEND ON DC TO MARCH IN SUPPORT OF PETE HEGSETH'S CONFIRMATION

"Having taken charge of his platoon mere days before deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he effectively led his platoon through five months of combat," the report read. "He planned and executed platoon operations ranging from air assault raids to the defense of a forward operating base (FOB)." 

During his tour as platoon leader, his evaluators said Hegseth ensured "that his platoon remained physically fit and mentally ready to meet the challenges of protracted missions in demanding conditions." 

While serving at FOB Falcon, Iraq, Hegseth's platoon "developed and fortified a platoon sector of the company defense and executed their portion of a continuous defense for three months while planning and executing additional offensive operations." 

Under his leadership, the report detailed, Hegseth's platoon "cleared areas around FOB Falcon suspected of insurgent activity and denied their use to the Anti-Iraqi Forces" and "also conducted an air assault, high-value target raid in which they captured an Al Qaeda in Iraq cell leader." Hegseth and his troops moved north to Samarra, Iraq, where "he effectively transitioned his platoon to continuous offensive operations and conducted nine days of continuous combat outposts, nine days of patrolling and a deliberate cordon and search plus numerous time-sensitive missions," the report read. 

"His performance as platoon leader has been solid. He is more than capable to operate independently, controlling not only his squads but also air support, indirect fire support and other external combat support assets," his evaluators wrote. 

Expecting a fight during Tuesday's confirmation process, several Republican lawmakers held a news conference on Capitol Hill Monday backing Hegseth.

Criticism against Hegseth included alleged mismanagement of veteran nonprofit funds and lack of recent military experience. He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a GOP conference in 2017. He was never criminally charged but reportedly recognized paying his accuser an undisclosed sum over the allegations.

"I'm 110% behind Pete Hegseth," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. "He will be ripped. He will be demeaned. He will be talked about. But we're going to get him across the finish line." 

"The last four years has been an absolute disaster for our military. Again, we have a lot of good people, a lot of good men and women that believe in the United States of America. But we got to go forward and we have to have a leader. It all starts with one person," Tuberville added. "We don't need a general from the Pentagon. We've tried that. We need a drill sergeant, somebody that's been in two wars, somebody that understands camaraderie and team and work ethic and time, restraint and respect." 

"I am strongly supporting Pete Hegseth for a couple of reasons. We have the most highly educated and powerful military in the history of the planet. And we haven't won a war in 80 years," Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said.

In Iraq, Hegseth also served as an assistant civil military operations officer for a 660-man Air Assault Infantry Battalion. According to another report obtained by Fox News Digital, evaluators described him as "an absolutely outstanding officer," who was "intelligent, mature and extremely gifted" and had become "a tremendous asset to his battillion and had contributed immensely to the BN's performance during the past six months." 

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN'T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE 'ERROR' DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE

The officer evaluation report went on to describe how Hegseth "led numerous patrols and civil affairs missions and provided exceptional support to the battalion, proving himself as a strong combat leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom." His evaluators said he "developed relationships and trust with many of the local leaders of Samarra, Iraq," allowing him "to help collect intelligence which led to the capture/killing of countless Al Qaeda and insurgent leaders."  

"His performance as the battalion assistant civil-military operations officer has been superb," the company executive officer wrote of Hegseth. "He is a proven combat leader who is calm under fire and leads from the front." 

"Peter is physically and mentally tough, and demonstrates a level of maturity, poise, and confidence usually found in more senior officers," the report went on. 

"Peter always accomplishes every mission to high standards with minimal guidance or supervision. He has unlimited potential," the evaluator added. 

Hegseth similarly received glowing feedback when he later deployed to Afghanistan with the Minnesota Army National Guard, another officer evaluation report from 2012 showed. 

"Outstanding performance. CPT Pete Hegseth is the best CPT in this command (#1 of 12)," the report says. "Pete clearly rose to the top of his peer group through his exceptional leadership abilities, initiative, and dedication to mission accomplishment. Pete worked extremely hard to learn as much as he could about counterinsurgency operations, easily developing into one of my best COIN instructors. He always received high marks on the end-of-course critiques." 

The report referenceed Hegseth's "personal courage and selfless service" during an October 2011 attack. 

"Pete [led] a quick reaction force to assist with the recovery of casualties, ensuring the site was secure and the remains were all accounted for," the report went on. 

The evaluator said Hegseth "should be given command as soon as possible and closely monitored to maximize his potential to career progression." 

Hegseth received two Bronze Star Medals and two Army Commendation Medals, among other honors. He was praised for his work building out lesson courses and re-wiring the guidebook for the Counterinsurgency Training Center-Afghanistan, taking hours to do research, sometimes during off-hours, and training NATO students from multiple countries.

‘50s horror icon pranked wife with Christmas gift she hated every year

23 December 2024 at 07:00

Vincent Price’s favorite holiday was Christmas, and the horror icon couldn’t resist pulling a prank on his wife each December, according to his daughter. 

Victoria Price told Fox News Digital that her father, the star of classic horror movies like "House on Haunted Hill" and "Edward Scissorhands," had a "weakness for large jewelry that he loved buying his wives," and after going to Poland in 1974 he gifted her stepmother a chunky bone butterfly necklace. 

"My stepmother hated it," Price said. "That wasn't her cup of tea. And unlike us, she just said it. ‘I will never wear this. I hate it.’" She said that her stepmom also likely wasn't "endeared" by the fact that he also gave a necklace to her mom, Mary Grant Price. 

She continued, "My dad loved Christmas; he was like Father Christmas. Christmas was his favorite holiday. They were married for 18 years. Every year for the next 18 years, [her stepmother] would get in her thing of Christmas packages some beautiful Tiffany box or some something, and there it was, every damn year that bone necklace, so that was my dad’s humor."

MICHAEL JACKSON'S ‘THRILLER’ GAVE VINCENT PRICE 'IMMORTALITY AFTER HE TRIED ACTING ON A DARE

She said her dad was a habitual prankster, once leaving a "disgusting corroded denture" under her pillow when she expected a nickel from the Tooth Fairy, and jumping out and surprising candy givers when he took her trick-or-treating.

Price said her family celebrated a "very traditional" Christmas that involved opening stockings with their family, sweet rolls and eggnog, lunch and exchanging presents all day long with their extended family and finally a big New Year’s Eve party with a band and dancing. 

WATCH: ‘50s horror icon pranked wife with Christmas gift she hated every year

"The Christmas tree was always a big deal," she said. "We lived in a very large house. It had very high ceilings, so [her mother] had to buy Christmas trees where the department stores bought theirs."

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She said their whole house was decorated, and her mother turned their tree into a "work of art," and she even got her own little "Charlie Brown" tree that she could decorate. 

"All the artwork had bows on it and, you know, different figures had, you know, ornaments on them. And, it was a very joyful time," she said. 

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Price said they also traveled together for a lot of Christmases as a child, including places like London and Boston.

She got one of her favorite gifts, a portable typewriter, while they were spending Christmas in England one year, but her favorite gift was one she got from her dad every Christmas – a $10 gift certificate to a bookstore in Beverly Hills where she was able to buy a stack of books. 

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"My dad and I would go to Hunter's Books after I got my certificate, and he would amuse himself for as long as it took. There was no time limit," she remembered. 

"He would look at the art books, have a lovely time, and I would just spend so much time trying to figure out the perfect 10 books I wanted with my $10 worth. And then I would go home, lock myself in the room and be done with them, I don't know, like 24 hours later. And then my dad would always be sort of pretend-angry. ‘I can't believe I just spent $10, and you run through it like that,’ you know?’ . . . and I knew he loved how much I loved to read." 

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