For nearly 16 years, Danielle Jonas has stood beside her husband, Kevin Jonas—yes, that Kevin Jonas, one-third of the timeless Jonas Brothers.
From the outside, her world looks like a highlight reel: red carpets, front row at concerts, glittering award shows, and a beautiful family. But behind the glam, Danielle was quietly fighting a health battle that rattled her confidence and forced her to rethink how she cares for herself—and her family.
But through it all, Danielle and Kevin kept one thing in focus: their two daughters, Alena, 11, and Valentina, 8.
Kevin Jonas, The Ultimate Girl Dad
Even though Kevin grew up surrounded by brothers, he, along with bandmates Nick and Joe, have all become proud girl dads. They have five daughters between them! Danielle says the cousins are incredibly close, spending much of the summer together while the Jonas Brothers were on tour. And Danielle is certain Kevin was born to raise girls.
“Kevin never really mentioned wanting boys, so when we had two girls, he was beside himself. He always gives them their way, but the biggest thing is just how much he loves them,” she says. “He flies home every chance he can. Even if it’s a day off and a six-hour flight, he’ll come home for a couple of hours and then fly back. I give him so much credit for that.”
Alena and Valentina are already picking up dad-approved hobbies, too.
“My oldest loves golf, so she shares that with Kevin. And my youngest? She’s just started playing the guitar,” Danielle shares. “Watching them in the family room—Kevin with his guitar, and Valentina with her small, little guitar—I feel like that just makes me die inside. It’s so cute!”
Family Time is the Best Time
With the girls in school and the Jonas Brothers on tour this fall, carving out family time and attending shows isn’t easy.
“We like the girls to be in school so they have some normalcy,” Danielle explains. “The school is really accommodating when we do take them out—but we don’t do it often. They’re their own people, with their friends, their routines. We really want them to choose their own paths, and being in school helps with that. It would be so much harder if they were on tour all the time.”
Life in a family with a touring musician isn’t always easy, but Danielle is proud of how they make it work. When she’s home solo with the girls, she treasures the bonding time. Even when Kevin is away, Danielle never feels disconnected from him. They’ve learned how to make distance work ever since the very start of their relationship.
“We were long-distance when we first met, so our relationship was on the phone, and we talked so much. Kevin’s brothers would call him out,” Danielle laughs. “So when he’s away now, we still do talk a lot. We’re always telling each other what we’re up to, or we say goodnight. Before he gets on a flight, he calls me, and when he lands. His tours are a big stretch over a couple of months, but then he’s off for a while and we’re together.”
Going Solo, surprising his daughters and fans
Of course, the girls are the Jonas Brothers and Kevin’s biggest fans. In August, during a Jonas Brothers tour stop in Boston, Kevin surprised fans by performing his solo song, “Changing,” for the very first time.
While Alena and Valentina couldn’t be there in person, Danielle says they were “flipping out” watching over FaceTime. Danielle, however, got the full front-row experience, describing the moment as “overwhelming.”
“I knew he was going to do it, and I was saying to myself, ‘I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry.’ But once I saw him up there by himself, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Danielle shares. “I was nervous for him, but so excited and knew that he was so ready for it. We talked about it a bunch before he even did it. He did so good. His voice was unreal. I was so proud of him.”
Inside Danielle’s Private Health Battle
Danielle’s ordeal began when she noticed her hair was falling out. Doctors had no answers or a diagnosis.
“They tried to tell me it was anxiety. Finally, I had a biopsy that showed I actually had Lyme disease,” she tells Parents. “I also had eczema on my scalp, which was likely from the inflammation [caused by Lyme disease]. The hair loss was very traumatic. I got to a point where I wanted to wear a wig.”
Instead of a wig, Danielle relied on extensions. Except they irritated her eczema even more because of the way they pulled at her scalp.
“I had to go out and do things with Kevin. I just wanted to feel like myself,” she says.
That’s when Danielle went into full detective mode, scrutinizing everything that touched her skin—lotions, serums, hair products, even the family’s laundry detergent. As it turned out, switching their detergent to all® free clear made a remarkable difference. Danielle has since partnered with the brand because she trusted it, especially since all their products have received a stamp of acceptance from the National Eczema Association.
Luckily, Danielle has her Lyme disease under control. While she still experiences some symptoms, including eczema flare-ups, Danielle’s relieved that it’s more manageable.
Boosting Her Daughters’ Self-Esteem
If there’s one silver lining, it’s that Danielle’s experience armed her with the empathy and know-how to help her daughters, who also deal with eczema. She doesn’t want it to affect their self-esteem or confidence.
“They saw everything I went through, so the main thing I tell them [when their eczema flares up] is ‘this is going to pass,’” says Danielle.
Like many tweens these days, both of Danielle’s daughters, especially Alena, are very into their skincare routines. Danielle encourages them to use products with clean ingredients.
“I had to reel Alena back in a little bit. Besides eczema, she’s always had other skin issues, so keeping things clean for her is important,” shares Danielle. “Still, she gets mad because she wants to have fun with certain products. I just tell her, ‘Well, do you want a flare-up or do you want it to get it under control? That helps her come back down.’”
Navigating Sibling Dynamics
Danielle also noticed other changes with Alena now that she’s in sixth grade.
“It’s just wild. She’s very into clothes and hair. We’re almost the same size, so she’s always in my closet,” she laughs.
In the Jonas (and Deleasa) households, sibling dynamics are kind of a big deal. Danielle grew up the classic middle child—sandwiched between an older sister and two younger siblings. Kevin, of course, is the oldest of four brothers.
Valentina hasn’t quite caught up yet with her big sister’s newfound love of fashion—yet. Danielle shares that her younger daughter’s “thing” is the Disney character Stitch.
“I feel like she ‘identifies’ as Stitch, but I love it,” she says.
Despite their differences, Danielle loves the relationship her daughters are building.
“Alena has always tried to take care of her younger sister. She’s very loving and has a huge heart,” says Danielle. “Valentina wants to be more on her own. I try to teach her that she has to care about her sister, too. But they love each other a lot and remind me of how I was with my own siblings.”