Where Is Romance Novel Cover Star Fabio Now? Inside His Life 30 Years After Posing for Over a Thousand Books
- - Where Is Romance Novel Cover Star Fabio Now? Inside His Life 30 Years After Posing for Over a Thousand Books
Alyssa DavisDecember 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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Ron Galella Collection via Getty ; Paul Archuleta/Getty
Fabio attends the premiere party for Pauly Shore on August 26, 1992 in Hollywood, California ; Fabio Lanzoni attends the Babes In Toyland's Halfway To Halloween costume party on April 21, 2018 in Hollywood, California.
If you’ve picked up a 1990s romance novel, chances are you know all about legendary Italian model Fabio.
After working with esteemed fashion brands like Versace and Gap in the ‘80s, Fabio Lanzoni (later shortened mononymously to Fabio) took a few jobs posing as the cover star for upcoming romance novels.
Unbeknownst to him, the books had already been printed and released. He found out when he hit a Miami club one evening in 1987, and a group of women approached him.
"Three girls come up to me and they go, 'Oh my God, you look exactly like the guy on our books!' " Fabio recalled to PEOPLE in January 2025. Fabio wasn't convinced, thinking they were just flirting at first, but when the girls came back 20 minutes later with the novels in hand, he was taken aback.
"And I go like, 'Oh my God, that's me.'... 'Yeah, that's me. That's weird,' “ he said.
That was just the beginning of Fabio’s run as a romance novel cover star. The model appeared on over a thousand books, his signature locks flowing in the wind and trademark muscles bulging in glistening glory on every cover.
Fabio’s book model fame launched his career to new heights, with collaborations for haircare products, fitness videos and even a Sam’s Club clothing line, establishing him as an original influencer of sorts. He even went on to nab several movie cameos, appearing in Dude, Where’s My Car and Zoolander, among others.
So where is Fabio decades after his reign as a romance novel cover star? Here’s everything to know about Fabio and his life today.
Who is Fabio?
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Italian fashion model Fabio, circa 2000.
Fabio is a model, actor and ‘90s pop culture icon. Born in Milan, he left Europe to pose for fashion brands before foraying into book cover shoots. Fabio quickly became a sensation in the romance genre, appearing on over 1,300 book covers.
Reflecting on what he meant to fans in January 2025, Fabio told PEOPLE he was happy to help provide an escape for readers.
“When you read the book, you really have your own fantasy,” he said. “Worldwide, you have so many women who are not happy with their relationship, not happy with their life. They want to escape their reality and this is their escape."
Did Fabio cut his signature long hair?
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Fabio attends the premiere of "Shanghai Knights" on February 3, 2003 in Hollywood, California.
During an August 2021 episode of the PEOPLE in the ‘90s podcast, Fabio said that though his fans adore his long hair, he’s not particularly attached to it and isn’t against cutting it. He also confirmed his trademark locks are all natural, and he’s never had any plastic surgery.
So how does Fabio maintain his youthful appearance? He swears by using a hypobaric chamber.
“It’s amazing; if you do every day like an hour, an hour and a half, you can almost reverse the aging process,” he said. “It’s great to regenerate your skin, your hair — it’s everything.”
Why isn't Fabio on social media?
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Fabio Lanzoni at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 on July 21, 2017 in San Diego, California.
Fabio is not only not on social media — he’s passionately against it. The former model has been outspoken about being present in the real world, rather than through a screen. He expressed his frustration with social media during a conversation with Yahoo! in April 2016, saying he finds selfies particularly egregious.
“Something right now that drives me crazy is people are always taking a selfie,” he said. “You have to take a selfie and post it, ya know, ‘Look at me, I’m on Fifth Avenue. Now I’m on Sixth Avenue. Now I’m on Seventh.’ Who cares?"
He added, “A lot of people today don’t live life anymore. It’s computer, phone, tablet. Their brains are going to be fried 15 years from now. I love life and I spend every single minute living it.”
Did Fabio ever get married?
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Italian model Fabio in Hawaii.
During Fabio’s romance cover star days, he was a very eligible bachelor — not only in the public eye, but also by choice. Though he was single and loving it at the time, in August 2021, he admitted he has regrets about the one that got away.
During his appearance on PEOPLE in the ‘90s, Fabio briefly discussed his love life, including a lapse in judgment with a woman he loved.
“When you really love a person, it's forever,” he said. “It’s my fault, and I take full responsibility. … All she wanted was to have a future with me, but I was too wild back then.”
Though he revealed she was a model and is now married with kids, he said he’d never publicly divulged her name and has no plans to do so. “She went on with her life and had three beautiful daughters, and I wish her all the best,” Fabio said.
Still, the former model continues to date and has dreams of marriage and children of his own. Fabio shared he’s open to love with any woman as long as they’re “down to earth with a great sense of humor.”
Where is Fabio now?
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Fabio Lanzoni attends the debut of Lamborghini's Urus on March 8, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
In March 2024, Fabio told PEOPLE he’s happy with where life has taken him, especially as he's entered retirement.
"I have the most beautiful life. I am healthy, I am [in] good shape, I eat well, I work out every day," he said.
Fit as he may be in his 60s, Fabio doesn’t plan to revive his romance novel modeling career. "It would have to be a big pay day," he said.
Though his modeling days are behind him, Fabio has the itch to get back on set. As an avid collector of sports cars — he had 31 in his possession at the time of the interview — he revealed he’d love to host a television show inspired by Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, “but a better version, with the most beautiful of everything.”
“Cars, motorcycles and yachts,” he said, painting a picture of his vision. “Beautiful places, resorts, islands, you know, incredible places around the world. The most beautiful watches. The most beautiful of everything. Cause people always love beautiful things. I know I do."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
