Shawn Desman is on the road for his Back to Life tour, including a stop at History in Toronto on Dec. 12. The singer, whose music has been the soundtrack to many Canadians’ first dances, first dates and first loves, gives us the scoop on his love at first sight moment, 31 years ago with his wife Chantelle Leonardo.
How they met
We met at our dance studio in 1994. I was 12 and Chantelle was 13. It was love at first sight for both of us … I hope!
The first date
We went to the movies to see Titanic, which I believe came out in 1997, so before that it was all puppy love stuff. I remember being so nervous and then finally having the courage to hold her hand, and then she leaned over and gave me a kiss.
The relationship
One of the most memorable moments of our early relationship years is when I asked her to be my girlfriend. I walked up to her, handed her my Grade 6 school picture and said, “Wanna be my girlfriend?” She said “yes” and then we both turned around and walked away from each other!
As we got older and I became more popular, I was told that I couldn’t tell anyone that I had a girlfriend, and I know that, at times, that was hard for Chantelle. But here we are, all those years later.
The proposal
Chantelle: Shawn proposed to me on my birthday with all of our friends and family present. It was the cutest, he was so nervous. I had no idea! It was the best surprise ever!
The wedding and honeymoon
We got married in Vaughan at a place called West River. We had an outdoor ceremony and it was pouring rain! But it ended up being the most beautiful day — once the festivities moved inside. We had 400 people at our wedding! It was a party! We went to Aruba for our honeymoon.
The kids (and pets)
We have three amazing kids: Cayden, Owen and our daughter Sienna. We also have two French bulldogs, Lola and Louis. It’s a crazy house!
Shared hobbies and interests
We both love dancing obviously, and we both love the spa! We would get massages every day if we could!
The secret to success
I’d say communication, respect and always making time for each other. We’re both on the go so much with the kids and our careers that sometimes it’s easy to forget to make time to enjoy each other. We try to do at least one date night a month.
Balancing careers and a relationship
Our calendar is the only way to do it! That is our holy grail; without it we would be lost. Everything is scheduled! We both know what we’re doing on any given day. We’re also good at saying to each other “Hey, can you get off your phone for a bit so we can talk or watch a show?” It’s gotten so crazy with social media that we’re both constantly just working.
The future together
I tell Chantelle all the time that in 15 to 20 years or when our kids are all out of the house and on their own, I still want us to enjoy each other’s company. I want to sleep in the same bed, (a lot of people we know don’t once they get older). I want to vacation. We want to enjoy our grandkids, and I still want us to make sweet sweet love (sorry, not sorry)!
