Grammy-winner Jon Batiste reveals secret marriage to longtime girlfriend

Jon Batiste is not just a multiple Grammy winner as of 2022, but also a married man!

Batiste tied the knot with his longtime partner Suleika Jaouad in a secret ceremony in February just before the bestselling author went in for a bone marrow transplant following a leukaemia diagnosis.

Talking to CBS Morning, Jaouad shared that the couple, who have been together for about eight years, wanted to marry since the week they started dating but really sealed the deal after she was diagnosed with the cancer for a second time.

Sharing the big reveal, Jaouad said: “We got married the day before I was admitted to the hospital to undergo my bone marrow transplant.”

“We have known that we wanted to get married, I think, from the first week that we started dating. That's when Jon first brought up the topic of marriage to me. So, we've had eight years," Jaouad added.

The 33-year-old author further shared that her diagnosis was not the reason behind Batiste finally proposing her, and that he had been planning it for a year.

“He said to me, 'I just want to be very clear, I'm not proposing to you because of this diagnosis. It's taken me a year to design your ring,’” Jaouad recalled.

She went on to add: “Once we realized we had this tiny window before the bone marrow transplant, we decided to go for it.”

Meanwhile, Batiste emerged as the biggest winner at the Grammys on Sunday, April 3, picking up five awards.