Emily Vakos may be widely recognised as the wife of former Major League Baseball star Anthony Rizzo, but there is much more to her story than her famous marriage. From studying nutrition to entering real estate and running one of the world’s biggest marathons, she has quietly built an identity of her own.
Born on January 9, 1994, in Dallas, Texas, Emily has generally avoided turning her personal life into a public spectacle. Even while standing beside one of baseball’s best-known players, she has kept much of her daily life private.
Her relationship with Rizzo began during an important period in Chicago Cubs history. What started with a university internship eventually became a long-term relationship, marriage and family life.
Today, Emily’s story brings together nutrition, real estate, fitness, charity and baseball, making her more than simply Anthony Rizzo’s wife.
Quick Bio: Emily Vakos
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Emily Vakos |
| Date of Birth | January 9, 1994 |
| Age | 32 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Real Estate Professional, Nutritionist |
| Known For | Wife of former MLB star Anthony Rizzo |
| Education | Nutrition and Food Management |
| University | Arizona State University |
| Graduation Year | 2016 |
| Career Fields | Nutrition, Wellness and Real Estate |
| Husband | Anthony Rizzo |
| Relationship Began | 2016 |
| Marriage Date | December 29, 2018 |
| Children | One son |
| First Child Born | Summer 2025 |
| Famous Sports Connection | Major League Baseball |
| Marathon Achievement | Completed the 2023 New York City Marathon |
| Marathon Time | 3 hours, 47 minutes and 54 seconds |
| Charity Connection | Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation |
Emily Vakos’ Early Life, Education and Professional Career
Long before baseball fans knew the name Emily Vakos, she was focused on education and developing a career connected with health.
Emily grew up in the United States and later attended Arizona State University, where she studied Nutrition and Food Management. She graduated in 2016 and developed practical experience in food, wellness and nutrition during her university years.
Her choice of subject reflected an early interest in healthy living. Nutrition requires an understanding of how food affects the body, energy and long-term wellbeing, and this became one of the first clear professional areas associated with Emily.
She also gained experience through internships and nutrition-related roles. One of those opportunities would unexpectedly become a major turning point in her personal life.
During her final year at university, Emily worked with the Chicago Cubs’ nutrition department during the team’s spring training in Arizona in 2016. It was there that she met Anthony Rizzo.
Emily later expanded her career beyond nutrition.
She has been professionally identified as a real estate broker, showing that her working life did not remain limited to health and food management.
Moving from nutrition into real estate may appear to be a major career change, but both fields require strong communication and an ability to work closely with people.
Her professional background is important because it shows that her identity existed independently of her husband’s baseball career. She became known to millions of sports fans through Anthony Rizzo, but she had already been creating her own professional path.
How Emily Vakos and Anthony Rizzo Met
The relationship between Emily Vakos and Anthony Rizzo began in Arizona in 2016.
At the time, Rizzo was already a major figure for the Chicago Cubs. Emily was working as an intern with the organisation’s nutrition department during spring training.
Their first meeting has since become an entertaining part of their love story.
When Rizzo originally asked Emily for her phone number, reports say she gave him a fake number. Rizzo later described his pursuit of her as persistent, and the two eventually began dating after her internship with the team had finished.
The timing could hardly have been more memorable.
Later that year, Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, ending the franchise’s famous 108-year championship drought. It became one of the biggest moments in modern baseball history.
While Rizzo’s sporting career was reaching extraordinary heights, his relationship with Emily was also becoming more serious.
In June 2017, Rizzo proposed while the couple were on a boat on Lake Michigan. He arranged fireworks as part of the surprise proposal, creating a memorable moment against the Chicago setting.
Their engagement was followed by marriage the next year.
Emily and Anthony married on December 29, 2018. Their wedding took place in South Florida and included people who had been part of Rizzo’s baseball journey.
For Emily, marriage meant becoming even more closely connected with the public world surrounding professional baseball.
Yet she never appeared determined to make fame the centre of her identity.
Life as Anthony Rizzo’s Wife Away From the Spotlight
Being married to a high-profile professional athlete can make privacy difficult.
For Emily Vakos, that became clear as Anthony Rizzo‘s popularity continued to grow.
Rizzo was not simply another baseball player in Chicago. He became one of the most recognisable faces of the Cubs team that delivered a historic World Series title.
That attention naturally extended to Emily.
She has previously spoken about how normal activities could suddenly attract public attention when she was with her husband. Fans regularly recognised Rizzo, approached him and asked for photographs.
Still, Emily did not build her public image around constant interviews or celebrity appearances.
Instead, she maintained a relatively private lifestyle while supporting her husband throughout different stages of his career.
That career eventually took the couple from the Cubs era into Rizzo’s years with the New York Yankees after he was traded from Chicago in 2021.
For any professional athlete’s family, such changes can affect almost every part of daily life. Baseball seasons involve travel, long schedules and uncertainty over where a player may be based in future years.
Emily remained a steady presence throughout those changes.
Her ability to keep parts of her personal life away from constant attention is one reason there is continuing curiosity around her. Unlike many people linked to celebrities or athletes, she has not made every detail of her life public.
That privacy has helped keep the focus on the parts of her life she appears comfortable sharing: family, fitness, professional work and charitable causes.
Fitness, Charity and the New York City Marathon
Another important part of Emily Vakos’ biography is her interest in health and fitness.
Her university education already had strong connections with nutrition and wellness, but in 2023 she demonstrated her athletic side in a much more public way.
Emily completed the New York City Marathon in November 2023.
It was not a small challenge. A full marathon covers 26.2 miles and requires months of consistent preparation, physical endurance and mental discipline.
Emily completed the race in 3 hours, 47 minutes and 54 seconds, an impressive result for her first event of that scale.
More importantly, the run was connected with the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
The foundation supports children and families affected by paediatric cancer, a cause that has deep personal meaning for the Rizzo family.
Anthony was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma as a teenager before eventually going into remission. His own cancer experience became one of the reasons he later committed significant time and resources to supporting families facing similar situations.
Emily’s marathon participation brought together her interests in fitness and charitable work.
Rather than simply attending a fundraiser, she took on a demanding physical challenge to help raise awareness for a cause closely connected to her family.
It also revealed another part of her personality.
Running a marathon requires preparation away from cameras and crowds. The actual race may happen in one day, but completing it depends on weeks and months of training.
For someone known for keeping a low profile, it was an achievement that allowed her actions rather than publicity to speak for her.
Motherhood and a New Chapter After Anthony Rizzo’s Retirement
The years after Anthony Rizzo’s final MLB season brought major changes for the couple.
In January 2025, Emily and Anthony announced that they were expecting their first child. The pregnancy announcement included their dachshund, Kevin, alongside ultrasound pictures and baby items.
Their first child, a son, arrived during the summer of 2025.
For the couple, parenthood arrived at almost the same time that Rizzo was deciding whether to continue his professional baseball career.
That decision became official in September 2025.
Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement after 14 Major League Baseball seasons, choosing to retire as a member of the Chicago Cubs. He also joined the Cubs organisation as a team ambassador.
Rizzo later explained that becoming a father made the transition away from professional baseball easier. Spending more time at home with Emily and their son offered a different kind of fulfilment after years built around a demanding MLB schedule.
It represents an important new chapter for Emily as well.
For much of their relationship, baseball dictated the calendar. There were spring training camps, regular-season games, road trips, injuries and moves between teams.
Retirement changed that rhythm.
Emily first met Anthony because of baseball, but their life together has now moved into a period where the sport no longer controls their everyday schedule in the same way.
For a couple that has traditionally valued family and privacy, this stage may offer more opportunities to enjoy life outside the pressure of professional competition.
Why Emily Vakos Continues to Interest Baseball Fans
There is an obvious reason people initially search for Emily Vakos: her marriage to Anthony Rizzo.
However, reducing her story to “Anthony Rizzo’s wife” misses several important parts of her life.
She studied nutrition before meeting him. She developed professional experience in health and later entered real estate. She completed the New York City Marathon and used the event to support families affected by childhood cancer.
She has also experienced almost a decade of major changes alongside Rizzo.
Their relationship began when he was one of the faces of the Chicago Cubs. She witnessed the period surrounding the historic 2016 World Series victory, his move to the Yankees and eventually his retirement.
Yet Emily has never appeared eager to make herself the centre of that story.
That balance may explain much of the continuing interest around her.
She lives close to fame but does not seem controlled by it.
Her public story is not filled with constant interviews, controversies or attempts to remain in the headlines. Instead, it is built around education, work, family, health, fitness and charitable involvement.
That quieter approach has allowed Emily to develop an identity that feels separate from the fame surrounding her husband’s baseball career.
Conclusion
Emily Vakos entered the public eye because of her relationship with Anthony Rizzo, but her life cannot be explained by baseball alone.
Her journey includes an education in nutrition, professional work in real estate, a challenging marathon, charity involvement, marriage and motherhood. Through each stage, she has managed to remain relatively private despite being closely connected with one of the most popular baseball players of his era.
From meeting Rizzo during spring training in 2016 to watching him close his MLB career nearly a decade later, Emily has experienced an extraordinary period of change.
Now, with Anthony retired and their family entering a new stage away from the demands of professional baseball, the story of Emily Vakos is moving into a quieter but equally meaningful chapter.
Also read: Casey Gunderson: Nelly Korda’s Fiancé, Career, Football Past and Life Away From Fame
(FAQs)
Who is Emily Vakos?
Emily Vakos is an American professional with a background in nutrition and real estate. She is best known publicly as the wife of retired Major League Baseball player Anthony Rizzo.
What did Emily Vakos study?
Emily studied Nutrition and Food Management at Arizona State University and graduated in 2016. She later became associated professionally with real estate as well.
How did Emily Vakos meet Anthony Rizzo?
Emily met Anthony Rizzo during Chicago Cubs spring training in Arizona in 2016. At the time, she was working as an intern with the Cubs’ nutrition department.
When did Emily Vakos marry Anthony Rizzo?
Emily Vakos and Anthony Rizzo married on December 29, 2018, after becoming engaged in June 2017.
Did Emily Vakos run the New York City Marathon?
Yes. Emily completed the 2023 New York City Marathon in 3 hours, 47 minutes and 54 seconds while supporting the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
Do Emily Vakos and Anthony Rizzo have a child?
Yes. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, during the summer of 2025. His arrival came shortly before Rizzo officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.
