Oscar De La Hoya’s public persona was based on a particular discipline. That version of De La Hoya was carefully crafted and truly earned. He was the young man from East Los Angeles who won Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992, battled his way through a career that produced six world titles across six weight classes, and carried himself with enough polish and commercial appeal that Madison Avenue came calling while he was still actively competing. The story of his marriage to Millie Corretjer, the Puerto Rican singer who became his wife in 2001 and his estranged spouse fifteen years later, is the best example of the far messier private life that accompanied that public persona.
In hindsight, there is a certain irony to the way they met. In 2000, De La Hoya put out a self-titled album, which caused controversy in the boxing community but demonstrated his sincere love of music and his belief that his fame went beyond the ring. He requested that Corretjer, a well-known character in Latin music, participate in his music video. He was already engaged to Shanna Moakler, the former Miss USA, but their relationship took off so fast after that introduction.
When Moakler saw De La Hoya and Corretjer together at the Latin Grammy Awards and confronted him in the car the next day, she would later recount how she recognized the engagement was ended. As she remembered it in the documentary “The Golden Boy,” his answer was direct and decisive. He was no longer in love with her. Corretjer’s relationship was predetermined.
Key Biographical & Relationship Information
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Subject | Oscar De La Hoya — Professional Boxing Champion |
| Full Name | Oscar De La Hoya |
| Born | February 4, 1973 — East Los Angeles, California |
| Nickname | “The Golden Boy” |
| Wife’s Name | Millie Corretjer |
| Millie’s Profession | Puerto Rican Singer |
| How They Met | De La Hoya asked Corretjer to appear in his music video (2000) |
| Wedding Date | October 5, 2001 |
| Wedding Location | Puerto Rico |
| Children Together | Oscar Gabriel, Nina Lauren, Victoria Lauren |
| Additional Children | Two sons from previous relationships |
| Separation Year | 2016 |
| Divorce Filed | January 2023 |
| Previous Engagement | Shanna Moakler — former Miss USA |
| Current Partner | Holly Sonders |
| Key Scandal | 2007 leaked lingerie photos; admitted infidelity in 2011 |
| Reference Website |
In October 2001, De La Hoya and Corretjer tied the knot in Puerto Rico in a ceremony that felt like a sincere commitment to her native country. Together, they went on to produce three children: Oscar Gabriel, Nina Lauren, and Victoria Lauren. They had a family life that was mostly hidden from the spotlight of his work. From the outside, the marriage seemed to be one of the more solid aspects of an otherwise fast-paced life. Before it changed, the appearance persisted for a number of years.
Pictures of De La Hoya wearing women’s underwear first appeared in 2007. His first reaction to the images’ rapid dissemination was denial, alleging they were digitally changed and relying on friends like Mario Lopez to openly reject them as phony and harmless. According to different sources, Millie Corretjer managed the situation with a poise that undoubtedly took more work than it seemed to.
A lady named Milana Dravnel came forward and claimed to be the owner of the pictures. She claimed to have been his mistress and that De La Hoya’s legal team had coerced her into signing a confidentiality agreement. She then sued for emotional suffering and defamation for $100 million. For months, the entire incident unfolded in the entertainment and tabloid media, attaching itself to De La Hoya’s reputation in ways that the first denials only made worse.
He eventually revealed the truth four years after the scandal first surfaced. In a 2011 interview, De La Hoya affirmed the authenticity of the images and described a night of drinking and cocaine with Dravnel that he presented as the result of a deeper personal emptiness. He claimed that drinking was a way to fill a void and that, in the cold light of sobriety, he made decisions that lacked logic.
In addition, he said that he had cheated on Corretjer while they were married. His admission was noteworthy for its thoroughness and clarity. He had had enough lying. At the time of the interview, he had voluntarily attended rehab and had been sober for three months. It was unclear from his statements whether he was actually attempting to rebuild his marriage, his reputation, or just his personal self-regard.
For a while, at least, the marriage endured the admission. Before De La Hoya filed for divorce in January 2023, the couple split in 2016 and lived apart for years. This formalized an ending that had started long before the paperwork was submitted.
It’s difficult to ignore how long Corretjer stayed, enduring the public humiliation of the pictures and the admission of adultery while raising three kids amid the chaos of a marriage that had obviously broken down. It is up to her, not the outsiders who have spent years telling her husband’s tale, to decide if that staying was due to love, practicality, the unique weight of a public split, or some mix of all three.
Since then, De La Hoya has publicly and passionately discussed his girlfriend Holly Sonders, sharing loving posts on social media that seem to indicate he has found a more stable relationship. What Millie Corretjer discovered after seeing the Golden Boy’s complex life for twenty-two years is still, as it most likely should be, her own.