Melania Trump’s secret dating history finally revealed

Before becoming the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump led a relatively private life in Slovenia, keeping her early romances largely hidden. Born Melanija Knavs in Sevnica, she built a successful modeling career that took her from Ljubljana to Paris, Milan, and eventually New York City.

Melania first met Donald Trump in 1998 at a Fashion Week party in Manhattan, hosted by Italian businessman Paolo Zampolli. Despite Trump being there with a date, he asked for her number. According to her friend Edit Molnar, Melania initially refused, describing Trump as “absolutely out of the question.”

Zampolli described her as a homebody who rarely dated in New York, preferring solo trips to the movies or the gym, even while modeling for major campaigns like Camel cigarettes in Times Square.

Melania and Donald married in January 2005 at Mar-a-Lago, and their son Barron was born in 2006. But before Trump, Melania had a few early relationships.

One of her alleged first loves was Peter Butoln, a teenage boyfriend from her school years in Slovenia. He claimed their romance ended when he left for military service, though a spokesperson later denied he was ever her official boyfriend.

Another early relationship was with Jure Zorcic, who recalled meeting her on the street in 1991 and dating for several months while vacationing along the Croatian coast. Their paths crossed again in New York years later before she focused on modeling internationally.

After meeting Trump, Melania’s life changed dramatically. She adapted to public attention while expressing admiration for him, even before his presidential ambitions, demonstrating that she was more than “just his pretty possession” and ready for a life at the top.