Why Below Deck Sailing Yacht Alum Jean-Luc Likely Hasn’t Seen His Baby With Dani

Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2 was disappointing after seeing how former deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux has not seen the daughter he had with his costar, Dani Soares. The deckhand initially denied being the father despite Dani saying it was no one else’s. Even though Jean-Luc finally confirmed he is the father, he has kept his distance.

No matter how hard Jean-Luc tries to clean up his image, the Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2 alum Jean-Luc is viewed as a deadbeat dad who isn’t making time for his daughter, Lilly Rose. Since leaving the Bravo series, Jean-Luc has been around the world, including working on another yacht in Miami and traveling around French Polynesia, Cabo, Costa Rica, and Panama. Jean-Luc blamed the borders being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that they are open, he still hasn’t made an effort to see her.

Jean-Luc Likely Won’t Be In Lily Rose’s Life

Jean- Luc Likely Still Hasn’t Since Her In 2024

​​​​​​Jean-Luc has limited who can comment on his social media posts for the past three years as many were badgering him for being an absent father. Jean-Luc has hardly referred to Lilly Rose by name, and one of the last posts that hinted at him being a father was a photo of himself as a newborn, saying he learned about Dani giving birth on Instagram. In January 2022, Jean-Luc finally acknowledged he was the father of Lilly after a DNA test proved it and even shared that he and Dani were working on a co-parenting plan.

What Prompted Jean-Luc and Dani’s Split

When Did The Relationship Fall Apart

The dynamic between the Below Deck costars seemingly started to deteriorate after Jean-Luc demanded the paternity test. Dani, having told him that she had not been with anyone else, was insulted by the insinuation of her having another partner. Jean-Luc, in an interview with US Weekly, claimed that he felt the DNA test was warranted. Recounting the situation, Jean-Luc said that he had gone as far as contacting Dani’s doctor’s office but didn’t want lawyers involved.

In this interview, Jean-Luc revealed that he only knew about the birth after Dani posted about it on Instagram. He was upset by the situation, claiming he wanted to be involved with the baby’s life but felt as though he was being cut off. Dani felt that, while Jean-Luc was initially on board with co-parenting, he changed his mind a short time after their agreed-upon test. Conversely, Jean-Luc claims being a deadbeat father is simply not in his character:

“All my friends and all my family know the type of person that I am and know that I want everything to do with that child, if it is mine.”

The situation was only worsened by the involvement of his mother. Jean-Luc’s mother, apparently in a fit of rage, left a malicious comment on Dani’s social media. Dani recited the bitter comment verbatim: “Gross is a woman who uses a man because she’s so desperate to be a mom.” No matter the circumstances, his mother publishing such a vile comment about the mother of her son’s baby is unforgivable. Despite Jean-Luc’s insistence that he never shared his mother’s sentiment, and told her to take the comment down, Dani was rightfully upset and had avoided contact with the family.

Jean-Luc Hasn’t Proven He’s Involved In Lilly’s Life

Jean-Luc Continues To Be A Deadbeat Dad

Sadly, it doesn’t look as if the plan has come to light as the Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2 alum Dani shared via a Q&A on Instagram back in 2022 that she was a single mother worrying about how to pay bills. While Jean-Luc has commented that he “thought about” moving to Australia to be with his family, there is no evidence of him fulfilling his parental duties. He has likely not seen his daughter in years, if at all, as neither of them hinted at a visit. According to social media, it doesn’t look like Jean-Luc has been around for any holidays or birthdays, and there’s no indication of child support in 2024.

What Have Jean-Luc & Dani Been Up To Since Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2?

Jean-Luc & Dani Have Moved On

Since Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2 ended, Dani and Jean-Luc have moved on with their lives. On Dani’s part, she moved to Australia, where she now lives with her daughter Lilly Rose. She is now almost four years old and is loving life with her single mom. Dani is still single; however, she’s focused on her daughter and no one else. Plus, after the show, Dani started her journey to become a registered nurse. Even though she was working, going to school, and being a mother, Dani accomplished her dream and is finally starting a new career in 2024.

And I would like to thank Lilly for being my motivation and the reason I’m alive after so much happened in my life before she got here.

In an Instagram post from May, Danirevealed she finally graduated from nursing school. The post includes just one photo of Dani and her daughter Lilly at Dani’s graduation. In her captain, Dani expressed how happy she was to have amazing people around her supporting her and, of course, thanked her daughter for being the reason she is so accomplished today.

As for Jean-Luc, he’s also somewhat moved on from his Below Deck Sailing Yacht days. He continued his yachting career post-show, and he is still in that industry as of 2024. One of the biggest changes in Jean-Luc’s life after Below Deck Sailing Yacht is that he’s no longer on the market. In an October 2023 Instagram post, Jean-Luc shared a video of him and his new girlfriend, Jennifer. Almost every post since then has included her in them, so it’s safe to say the two are still going strong.

Jean-Luc even shared a series of photos on December 5, 2023, wishing Jennifer a happy birthday. In the caption, Jean-Luc calls his new girlfriend an “incredible woman” and is happy to have her in his life. It’s too bad he doesn’t share the same sentiment for his daughter. It’s safe to say Jean-Luc continues to keep Dani and Lilly Rose out of his life.

Neither Dani nor Jean-Luc intends to return to Below Deck Sailing Yacht. It seems Jean-Luc is happy to continue living his yachting lifestyle with his new girlfriend by his side. Despite Jean-Luc being an absent father, Dani continues to be the best single mom she could be, providing for her daughter emotionally and financially now that she’s officially a registered nurse. One day, Jean-Luc may decide to visit his daughter, but that ship may have sailed on his chance for a decent relationship with her.

Sources: Dani Soares/Instagram, Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux /Instagram, Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux/Instagram, US Weekly