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Fabio’s unexpected rise to a 1990s romance novel cover star
One of the most common faces that you can find on the covers of any 1990s romance novel is of the legendary Italian model Fabio.
After being the face of top brands like Versace and Gap in the ’80s, Fabio Lanzoni—who is simply known as Fabio—got some jobs where he had to pose as the cover character of the romance novels. As a result, the pictures were already taken, and the books had already been published and released without his knowledge.
It was a surprise for him when at a Miami club in 1987, he was approached by three women who said, “Oh my God, you look exactly like the guy on our books!” Fabio was doubtful of their words at first but was completely shocked when they came back with the novels.
“And I go like, ‘Oh my God, that’s me.’… ‘Yeah, that’s me. That’s weird,’” he told PEOPLE in January 2025.
Fabio’s iconic romance novel career and life today
Just one of the many thing to happen to him was Fabio’s turn to be the unexpected face of the cover of a romance novel. He became the cover of more than a thousand books, and people immediately associated his stylistic hair and that perfect body with what they saw.
His popularity as a book model was the launchpad of his new ventures such as haircare products, fitness videos, and a Sam’s Club clothing line by which he became one of the first influencers. In addition to that, Fabio performed memorable little roles in movies such as Dude, Where’s My Car? and Zoolander.
Therefore, where is Fabio now, far away from his peak of a romance novel in the past few decades? Here is the sum of the things to be aware of his life nowadays.
Fabio Overview: Model, Actor, and ‘90s Pop Culture Icon
Fabio is one of the most recognizable faces of the 1990s; a Milan-born model, an actor, and the quintessential ‘90s pop culture icon. After finding success as a model for various European fashion brands, he turned to the romance genre, making his image the one most associated with over 1,300 book covers.
In an interview with PEOPLE in January 2025, Fabio expressed that he was glad to be the means through which his fans could escape their reality. “When you read the book, you really create your own fantasy,” he explained. “There are so many women all over the world who are not happy with their relationships, not happy with their lives. They want to get away from their reality and this is their way of doing it.”
Fabio regarding his iconic long hair, youthful appearance, and use of hypobaric chamber
It was in an August 2021 episode of the PEOPLE in the ’90s podcast that Fabio shared a little-known fact about his long hair. The fans might love it but Fabio himself is not that much attached to it and he would consider cutting it. He also made a statement that his trademark hair is entirely natural and that he has never undergone plastic surgery.
Fabio, in order to keep his youthful look, is very sure of the effectiveness of a hypobaric chamber. “It’s really great; if you do it every day for about an hour, an hour and a half, you can practically reverse the aging process,” he stated. “It is wonderful to regenerate your skin, your hair — it is everything.”
The reasons why Fabio shuns social media and prefers to be with people in real-life
Fabio is not only off the grid when it comes to social media but also he is one of the few who is vocally against it. In his opinion, people should be more in the real world instead of through their screens.
In an interview with Yahoo! in April 2016, he was visibly annoyed with the selfie culture and said, “One thing that is driving me insane right now is the fact that people are always taking a selfie. You have to take a selfie and then post it, ya know, ‘Look at me, I’m on Fifth Avenue. Now I’m on Sixth Avenue. Now I’m on Seventh.’ Who is interested?”
He went on to say, “Very many people nowadays do not live life anymore. It is a computer, phone, tablet kind of life. Their brains will be totally ruined 15 years from now. I am a lover of life and I dedicate every single minute to living it.”.
Fabio on love, regrets, and hopes for marriage
Fabio was a very eligible bachelor of his own accord during his peak as a romance novel cover star. In August 2021, he revealed to PEOPLE that he has regrets about a love he had in the past.
“When you love one person truly, it is always,” he explained. “It’s my fault, and I am the one who should take the most responsibility. … She only wanted to live the future with me, but I was too wild at that time.”
Although the woman, a model, is now married and has three daughters, Fabio has never disclosed her name and doesn’t intend to do it. “She decided to live her life and had three lovely daughters, and I am wishing her nothing but the best,” he said.
Fabio is still dating and he wants to get married and have children one day. He also said that he would be happy to fall in love with any woman who is “a nice person and has a great sense of humor”.
Where is Fabio now? Retirement, fitness and new ambitions
Fabio told PEOPLE in March 2024 that he is enjoying his retired life and is content. “I have the most beautiful life. I am healthy, I am [in] good shape, I eat well, I work out every day,” he declared.
Fabio is still in great shape for his 60s but he has no intention of going back to romance novel modeling unless it is a “big pay day”.
On the other hand, he fantasizes about a TV show, wealthy lifestyle edition, but much better, where he would be the host. As a sports car enthusiast with 31 different models in his collection, he is thinking of not only presenting “cars, motorcycles and yachts,” but also “beautiful places, resorts, islands, you know, incredible places around the world. The most beautiful watches. The most beautiful of everything.”
“People always love beautiful things. I know I do,” he concluded.
