Karoline Leavitt's husband Nicholas Riccio overcame homelessness to become a multi-millionaire

WASHINGTON, DC: Karoline Leavitt made history by becoming the youngest White Press Secretary at 27. She is married to multi-millionaire Nicholas Riccio and they have an age gap of 32 years. 

During an interview with the Portsmouth Herald, the 59-year-old entrepreneur revealed his rags-to-riches journey, recounting how he rose from homelessness to establish himself as a wealthy real estate mogul.

Karoline Leavitt's husband Nicholas Riccio's rags-to-riches story

During the interview, Nicholas Riccio talked about his challenging upbringing in a low-income family consisting of four children, coping with his parents' separation, and dealing with the loss of his mother to cancer, as per Daily Express US.

The multi-millionaire recalled how he left home at 18 and crashed on his friends' couches, saying, "When I was 19 or 20, I would call my buddies to go over to their houses to watch a game just so I could take a shower."

After graduating from Alvirne High School in Hudson in 1983, Riccio went to Plymouth State University, and after finishing college he joined a real estate course in 1990, where he found out what he really wanted to do, according to Irish Star.

At the beginning of his career, he ventured into house flipping and accumulated his current wealth. At this time, he took the risk of borrowing money, where interest rates fluctuated between 50 to 100 percent but his gamble paid off.

There was no looking back for Riccio from there on. Since then, he has built a real estate empire that includes his firm Riccio Enterprises LLC, and its subsidiary, Nautical Beach Properties.

Riccio's investments and relentless efforts in real estate have earned him a remarkable net worth of $6 million, per the outlet.

Karoline Leavitt got engaged to Nicholas Riccio in 2023

Nicholas Riccio popped the question to Karoline Leavitt on December 25, 2023. 

The White House press secretary took to Instagram to share a photo of the moment Riccio got down on his knees on a beach to propose to her as well as a photo of her sporting the massive diamond engagement ring.

She captioned the post, "The best Christmas of my life. I get to marry the man of my dreams. I feel SO overwhelmingly BLESSED. Thank you God." 

While it's unclear when the couple got married, they are said to have tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2024. 

In early July 2024, Leavitt and Riccio welcomed their first child, a son named Nicholas "Niko" Robert. 

She posted on Instagram, "July 10, 2024. 11:25 PM. The moment our son was born. The moment I officially became a mom. The best moment of my life."

The post continued, "It’s true when they say there’s nothing comparable to the love you feel for your child. My heart has grown bigger than I ever imagined possible. Babies are the ultimate blessing and I’m bursting with gratitude for our beautiful, happy, healthy boy."

Leavitt added, "Nicholas Robert aka Niko. My son. I love you."