Vajohnna ‘Johnna’ DiGrigoli and Garrett Tanner appeared in Love After Lockup season 1. By the end of the show, they were engaged. However, the duo decided to split after the filming stopped. The controversial couple’s lives continued to evolve, despite their separation from each other in 2018.
Love After Lockup‘s teaser featured the couple meeting online when Garrett was incarcerated. However, Johnna cleared the air, and revealed exactly how she met her man, which was not online. She explained that she first met him in middle school, and had a, “puppy love thing going on.” Then, she moved out of town, and they lost touch. After a few years, she moved back to Tampa, and started working in a fitness center. It was the same place where the couple used to go to daycare together.
Johnna & Garrett Started Dating in 2013
When she relocated to Tampa, Johnna thought about contacting Garrett, and discovered he was serving jail time for burglary, grand theft, and several other counts. Eventually, she decided to write to him in prison. One thing led to another, and they started dating each other in 2013, while Garrett was still incarcerated. Johnna was consistently criticized for dating a man in prison, and in 2016, she decided to address the issue.
Johnna from Love After Lockup Spoke Out
She wrote, “I am SO sick of hearing ‘you can do better’ and ‘why are you settling?’ from people who find my romantic situation to be taboo. You are basing this opinion off of one fact, that Garrett is incarcerated.” She stated that her boyfriend treated her really well, and made her feel beautiful every day. While talking about her boyfriend’s drop-dead gorgeous looks, she said, “I am not settling in the “looks” department.” She also added that she isn’t in a relationship for money. She didn’t need, “a man to take care of me financially.“
The couple dated for four years before Garrett was finally released. To start fresh, Johnna bought a house in Tampa, and assumed that her boyfriend would soon propose to her. However, Garrett wasn’t ready to settle down immediately, which eventually led to many arguments between the couple. Johnna didn’t approve of how her boyfriend was spending his time and money, which was showcased in the show. Thus, the ex-con finally decided to pop the question. He then asked his fiancée to just elope, instead of having an elaborate ceremony. At first, Johnna agreed, but when the wedding day arrived, she got cold feet.
Eventually, the couple decided to go their separate ways. They announced the news of their split in a special episode of Love After Lockup: Where Are They Now? Garrett revealed that he left the house when Johnna was out of town for a weekend. Soon after that, he began dating another girl, Nelly. Nelly, a bartender. He claimed that she started talking to Garrett only after he broke up with his then-fiancée. However, Nelly wasn’t the only woman in Garrett’s life at the time. He admitted that only three months after getting out of prison, he began seeing other females, and eventually cheated on Johnna.
After the breakup, Johnna decided to make some changes. She dyed her hair blonde and left for Austin, where, according to Johnna‘s Instagram, she still resides. Based on her social media, Johnna does not appear to be in a relationship but is a proud dog mom to pup Penelope Jane. As for Garrett, he and Nelly didn’t last, but he posted photos of himself and a mystery woman on Instagram in early April 2023. Garrett deleted all Instagram posts mentioning Nelly or Johnna and only has ten posts on his page as of 2023.
It appears this We TV couple has moved on with their lives, and they aren’t planning to get back together. While Johnna is enjoying her life in Austin, Garrett is having fun in his hometown of Tampa while supposedly keeping out of trouble. Although neither seems to be in a serious relationship at the moment, they are thriving better without each other.
Love After Lockup airs Fridays at 9 pm EST on We TV.
Source: Starcasm, Johnna Marie/Instagram, Garrett Tanner/Instagram
