Eva Marcille, known for winning the third cycle of America’s Next Top Model and her stint on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, has also been in the headlines for her turbulent dating history. She experienced her fairytale moment when she married Atlanta attorney Michael Sterling, a true Southern gentleman. However, after four years of marriage, Eva decided to end the relationship, leaving everyone questioning what went wrong. “Mike, where are you going? Who embarrassed me in front of all your fans? Sterling, where are you going? Who’s going to meet Dre? I don’t want any problems. You got it.”
Get all the details on why Eva filed for divorce and the bumps along the road that had many worried. Before we dive into today’s video, don’t forget to grab a snack from rrgsnacks.com, our online concession stand featuring barbecue brisket beef jerky, strawberry cheesecake popcorn, and butter toffee peanuts.
Eva’s past relationships include failed romances with Lance Gross and rapper Flo Rida. In 2013, she began dating singer-songwriter Kevin McCall, which turned out to be disastrous. She revealed on the Ricky Smiley Show that after discovering she was pregnant, Kevin became violent toward her. She gave birth to their daughter Marley in January 2014, but the abuse allegedly continued. “The final straw was when Marley was actually in my arms once, and I was like, I can’t do this anymore,” Eva said.
Kevin Responds to Allegations: “I’ve Always Protected Eva”
Kevin addressed the physical allegations in an interview with People magazine, saying, “Every fight I’ve been in since my career began has been about protecting Eva from her own mess and disputes.” After their relationship ended in 2015, Eva took out multiple restraining orders against Kevin. They also fought over custody of their daughter, with Eva ultimately being awarded primary custody. Raising her daughter as a single mom in Los Angeles was challenging for Eva, but she always had a “shooter” on speed dial – a close friend or family member ready to defend her.
Meeting Michael: A Love Story
Eva told the Hello Beautiful website that her friend Crystal Renee, also known as Neo’s then-wife, was her go-to in times of trouble. “Crystal would pack up her fancy car and be there. She’s from Fort Myers,” Eva said. Things changed when Eva met the man of her dreams, Michael Sterling, in Atlanta while working on a project. A friend invited her to a Kevin Hart show but insisted she attend a fundraiser first. At the fundraiser, Eva met Michael, a Texas native and former Federal prosecutor who was working as the senior advisor to the mayor of Atlanta. On the Undressing Room podcast, she recalled thinking, “Who is that yellow boy?” It was love at first sight.
Their first date was at Del Frisco’s restaurant, and despite living in different cities – Eva in Los Angeles and Michael in Atlanta – they decided to try a long-distance relationship. They kept their relationship private to build a strong foundation. Eva shared, “I came from a tumultuous situation, and someone needed a lot of hutzpah to take all of that on. I’m a whole person with a daughter and a life before him, and he came in like a champ.”
They went public with their romance in March 2016 when Michael posted a Woman Crush Wednesday photo of Eva. He captioned it, “Thank you for your unequivocal support and consistent encouragement in all things. I’m so fortunate to have you.” After that, gossip bloggers started digging for dirt, revealing all of Michael’s information. Urban Radio Scope reported that despite Michael’s dreams of becoming the mayor of Atlanta, he was nothing more than a celebrity groupie.
When Eva moved to Atlanta, the website mentioned that Michael was last seen at Pepsi’s Black History Celebration at Doe Restaurant with Angela Simmons, who attended the event with her boyfriend. In September 2016, a gossip blog implied that Michael was secretly gay after he was spotted looking “very comfortable” at LGBT events. Michael responded by calling out the blog for trying to alienate LGBT allies with false rumors. He said, “It’s an outdated tactic that seeks to divide us at a time when we should be supporting one another more than ever. Let me be clear: I will not back down from supporting my LGBT brothers and sisters.”
As their relationship deepened, Eva decided to move to Atlanta to be with Michael. Michael had been running for mayor of Atlanta, but he dropped out of the race in October 2017. Despite this, his name still appeared on the ballot, and he ultimately lost in the November 2017 general election. That same month, Eva made her first appearance on the “Atlanta Housewives” as a friend of the cast. She also announced her pregnancy and showed off her new engagement ring on Christmas Day.
In January 2018, Eva posted a picture on Instagram of Michael and Marley, which upset Kevin. He was unhappy that another man was in his daughter’s life while he was fighting for visitation rights. Eva told an online source that Michael was now Marley’s father, and she dismissed Kevin as just a donor, a figure from the past. Their son, Michael Jr., was born in April 2018. To bring their family closer, Michael legally changed Marley’s last name to Sterling so they could all share the same surname.
In October 2018, Eva and Michael got married in a wedding that reportedly cost between $300,000 and $500,000. The event was filmed for an episode of the Bravo reality series, as Eva had become a full-time housewife.
Shortly after Eva bought a house, her former bridesmaid and friend, Sunita, contacted Real Housewives cast member Marlo Hampton to spill all of Eva’s secrets. Marlo then shared on camera that Eva and her husband Michael were allegedly broke, with Eva covering most of their expenses. Rumors began circulating that they were living in a rented home and facing eviction. “Tell me what you know,” Marlo urged. There were also allegations that the couple had scammed to obtain a vehicle. For her role in spreading Eva’s business, Marlo was labeled a messy escort by online users.
The drama spilled over onto social media, where Eva, Sunita, and Eva’s cousin engaged in a back-and-forth over the allegations. In an Instagram comment, Sunita claimed that the five-bedroom house Eva was living in was rented by her family and that Eva had run up the utilities under a senior citizen’s name. Sunita’s family was considering taking Eva to court. These allegations, however, remain unconfirmed.
Eva was also called out during an episode of Real Housewives for frequently moving houses. She explained that she moved often to keep her family safe from Kevin, mentioning they had three homes they alternated between. In September 2019, Eva gave birth to a baby boy named Maverick. Three months later, she purchased a home in Alpharetta, Georgia, for $780,000, reportedly without any financial help from her husband, with the mortgage solely in her name.
So, were the rumors about Eva footing the bill in their relationship true? Maybe. But if you’re concerned about your safety, would you really post pictures of your house on social media? Eva’s actions seem contradictory, raising questions about her truthfulness. It all looks a bit… questionable.
Eva’s life took an unexpected turn after her full-time housewife role ended with the wrap of season 12 in 2020. She stayed busy acting in made-for-TV movies, while Michael began teaching at Texas Southern University in spring 2021. However, a few months later, Eva found herself in hot water with her homeowners association for allegedly not paying fees amounting to just over $2,000.
In October 2022, Eva celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary by sharing wedding photos captioned, “It’s all about the journey.” Yet, just five months later, she filed for divorce.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Eva claimed their marriage was irretrievably broken with no hope for reconciliation. After the divorce news broke, Michael told the Jasmine Brand website, “I am not going to lose my wife. I am going to fight for her with every fiber in my being. I love her and plan to show her how much I love her and that our love is strong enough to get to the other side.”