Model Wondrea Gilmore Dead

Some people walk into a room and immediately change the energy. Wondrea Gilmore was one of those people.

Beautiful, brilliant, funny, stylish and full of life, Wondrea had a presence that was impossible to ignore. Yes, she was gorgeous. She was fine AF. She worked the camera and could command a runway. But anybody who truly knew Wondrea knows that her greatest gift was bigger than her physical beauty.

It was her light. Her laugh. Her confidence. Her warmth. Her personality. The way she connected with people and made them feel like they had known her forever.

Wondrea built an impressive career as a plus-size model and actress, carving out space for herself in industries that have not always celebrated women who looked like her: curvy, highly melanated, confident Black women who refused to make themselves smaller.

And Wondrea never made herself small. Honestly, if Wondrea knew nothing else, she knew she was a big deal. She knew she was necessary because her community and her peers reminded her of that regularly.

She graced the pages of publications including EBONY, Essence, Cosmopolitan, PLUS Model Magazine, OMIGAWD Magazine and Kontrol Magazine. She also worked with nationally recognized brands including Fashion Nova, Ashley Stewart, SKIMS, Fashion to Figure and Curverra, building a career that made space for curvy Black women to see themselves reflected in fashion and media.

Wondrea’s talents stretched far beyond modeling. She was steadily building her acting résumé, appearing in projects including Pretty For A Big Gurl, Turf, Shuttered Secrets, Deceptive Touch and STARZ’s BMF. She used every opportunity show the world another side of a woman who was constantly growing, constantly dreaming and constantly becoming.

But Wondrea’s story was never limited to what happened in front of a camera.

Born in Montgomery and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, she attended Miles College, where she immersed herself in campus life. She was a member of the Purple Marching Machine and Student Government Association, served as Miss Sophomore and, in 2010, was crowned the 74th Miss Miles College.

Wondrea was also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Nu Chapter, as well as Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and Gamma Delta Iota. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Miles College in 2011 and later earned a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University.

Her love for Miles did not end after graduation. The college later honored Wondrea as a member of its inaugural 50 Under 50 class, recognizing alumni for professional achievement, leadership and service. Even after receiving that honor, she continued returning to Miles to serve as mistress of ceremonies for the celebration and remained a consistent supporter of the Miles College Royal Court.

Wondrea never just celebrated her own accomplishments. She poured into the people coming behind her. The girl standing next to her and everyone connected to her.

That was Wondrea.

The most meaningful parts of her life could never be captured by a list of credits, degrees or accolades.

She was an only child who shared an incredibly special bond with her mother. Their relationship was filled with the kind of love that was obvious to anyone who witnessed it. She was a very proud daughter and made no apologies about being a mama’s girl.

She was a proud dog mom. Honey Drea did not play about girlfriend and Handsome. She was a friend. She was a soror. She one of the most magical Black women God created.  

She was family to people who she didn’t share DNA with. And she was deeply loved. She is deeply loved because so many of use will carry her in our hearts, forever. I had the privilege of knowing Wondrea long before many of the accolades and acting credits came along.

She was one of the first models I developed a relationship with when I created Life Styled Honors. Year after year, Wondrea showed up and showed out. She modeled. She supported. She laughed. She celebrated other women. She grew alongside the community we were building.

Eventually, we had the joy of watching her move from being one of the women walking our runway to being a woman we stood up and celebrated. In 2024, Life Styled Honors honored Wondrea for everything she had become as a model, actress and force within the plus-size community.

That moment will forever mean something different now. Because Wondrea represented exactly what so many of us have spent years fighting for: the right for plus-size Black women to be seen as beautiful, fashionable, desirable, talented, multidimensional, and worthy of opportunity. She did not simply talk about representation.

She was representation. She showed another curvy Black girl what was possible. She showed another dark-skinned woman that she belonged in front of the camera. She showed another dreamer that she did not have to wait until she fit somebody else’s idea of perfect before going after what she wanted. And most importantly, Wondrea showed us that you can pursue your dreams without losing your joy.

That joy is what I will remember.

That big personality.

That laugh.

That energy.

That beautiful smile.

The way she could make a room feel brighter simply because she was standing in it.

There is great sadness in losing someone who still had so much life ahead of her. But there is also great gratitude in experiencing Wondrea although our time with her was short.

And she left fingerprints on the hearts of so many people.

To Wondrea’s family, friends and loved ones, and to the girlies in the curvy community, those of us who grew alongside her, came of age with her and had the privilege of being her peers, I hope we carry something from Wondrea’s life with us.

If we learn nothing else from the way she lived, let it be this: be kind to one another. Love on one another. And be intentional about living this life fully, freely and without apology.

Do the things that soothe your soul. Choose the experiences that bring you peace. Make room for joy, even when life gives you every reason not to.

Because Wondrea did more than exist—she lived. She dreamed, she loved, she showed up, she took up space and she allowed herself to enjoy the life she was creating.

May we honor her by doing the same.

For those of us who loved Wondrea, her story will never simply be about the day we lost her. It will be about all the days we were blessed enough to have her. And what a beautiful gift she was.

Rest in Paradise, Wondrea Gilmore. We love you, babygirl.