Bravo confirmed on March 2 that The Real Housewives of New York City is returning for Season 16, and there will be three new women joining the cast. One of those ladies is Erika Hammond, who is getting her apple alongside fellow newbies Hailey Glassman and Daisy Toye.
Hammond has spent part of her career in the entertainment industry, and she made headlines in 2024 for her majorly lavish wedding that took place in front of the pyramids in Egypt.
Scroll down to learn more about Hammond, her marriage, and those over-the-top nuptials!
What does Erika Hammond do for a living?
Hammond is a celebrity fitness trainer who is the co-creator of Rumble Boxing. She helped launch the fitness brand in 2016, according to LinkedIn. Prior to that, she was a fitness coach at Prevail Boxing in Los Angeles for two years.
In 2023, Hammond created KNOCKOUT for Equinox. KNOCKOUT is a 45-minute “boxing-forward full-body strength class” that integrates “non-rhythmic shadow boxing combos with targeted strength training.”
Additionally, Hammond conducts personal training sessions through her company STRONG by Erika Hammond, which she launched in 2020.
Prior to getting in the fitness space, Hammond was a pro wrestler from 2013 to 2014. In the ring, she went by the name Veronica Lane. While she never made it to the WWE, she was part of the company’s developmental league, NXT, for 11 months.
Hammond announced she was leaving WWE in September 2014, writing, “Today I have made the decision to close a chapter of my life and begin the next. My time with WWE was an experience I will never forget and I will always cherish those memories. However, I am ready to move forward towards my goals and life aspirations. I am beyond thankful for the continual love and support from coworkers, friends, and fans. Thank you for everything.”
Who is Erika Hammond’s husband?
Hammond’s husband is Ankur Jain, a billionaire who founded Bilt Rewards, a company that offers consumers rewards on rent payments, per LinkedIn. The entrepreneur and investor is also the founder and CEO of Kairos. In 2012, he co-founded Humin, a platform to “help the world communicate in a more human way.” The company was sold to Tinder in 2016, and Jain briefly worked as Tinder’s VP of Product in 2016 and 2017.
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Jain and Hammond met when he was taking classes at Rumble Boxing, where she was working as an instructor. They were just “acquaintances” at first, Hammond told People. However, she and one of the gym’s other co-founders ran into Jain “a couple years later” and briefly chatted. Just days after that, Hammond and Jain found themselves in the same workout class.
“It was funny because she’s normally teaching the class, but we were both taking it,” Jain recalled. “I’m not the fittest guy, so it was probably a dumb move in hindsight, but I was like, ‘Why don’t you come work out next to me?'”
They went out for a drink after the class. “It’s so great,” Hammond gushed. “I didn’t have makeup on. I was in workout clothes and all sweaty. I knew he was going to love me no matter what.”
How much did Erika Hammond’s wedding cost?
It’s estimated that Hammond and Jain’s wedding in Egypt cost $3 million, according to The Knot. The couple said “I do” in front of the Sphinx at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, and their nuptials were officiated by Dr. Zahi Hawass, a famous Egyptologist who is also Jain’s friend.
The four-day affair was attended by 130 guests. The weekend began with a welcome party at Muhammed Ali Palace in Cairo, Egypt, which lasted until the early hours of the next morning as guests continued to trickle in from around the world.
The next day, guests got a private tour of the pyramids and attended an Ancient Egypt x Met Gala themed dinner. The dinner took place at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which wasn’t open to the public yet. The actual wedding took place on Friday, April 26.
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