Caroline Lyra Celico, born on July 26, 1987, in São Paulo, Brazil, is a Brazilian businesswoman, fashion entrepreneur, philanthropist, influencer, singer, and former evangelical pastor.
She first gained widespread public attention through her marriage to Brazilian footballer Kaká (Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite) from 2005 to 2015.
The couple, who met while she was still in high school in 2002, share two children: son Luca Celico Leite (born June 10, 2008) and daughter Isabella Celico Leite (born April 23, 2011).
After their divorce, she married businessman Eduardo Scarpa Julião in 2021, and the couple welcomed a son, Rafael, in 2024.
Of Italian descent, Celico grew up in an upper-middle-class family; her mother, Rosângela Lyra, worked as a director of designers at Christian Dior in Brazil, and her father, Celso Celico, is a businessman.
Siblings
Caroline has one sibling, a younger brother named Enrico Celico.
He was born when she was approximately five and a half to six years old, around the same time her parents divorced.
Celico has spoken fondly of him in the past, describing the arrival of her brother as a joyful event and once referring to him in affectionate terms similar to a child of her own.
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Career
Celico’s career has spanned religion, music, events, fashion, and philanthropy.
While still young and during her relationship with Kaká, she became involved with the Reborn in Christ Church and served as a pastor there before leaving the role in 2010 amid a financial scandal involving the church’s founders.
That same year she released a self-titled debut album, initially offered free online where it was downloaded more than a million times, and later distributed more widely through Universal Music Group; the work reflected personal and spiritual themes and included gospel elements.
Earlier, while living in Milan, she co-founded an events company called Party Design at age 19, handling logistics and supplier relations for high-profile occasions including international weddings.
She later founded the nonprofit Amor Horizontal (also known as Horizontal Love) in 2014 to support at-risk children and youth in Brazil through education, care, and resources.
In 2021 she launched NIINI, a São Paulo-based fashion brand focused on modern, trend-inspired clothing for young women, including smaller sizes and some genderless pieces; she serves as CEO, and the brand has grown through e-commerce and a physical store, with reported significant production and revenue in recent years.
Celico continues to work as an entrepreneur and digital influencer while balancing family life.
Accolades
Public recognition of Celico has centered more on the impact of her work and personal visibility than on a long list of formal industry awards.
The Amor Horizontal Foundation has been credited with supporting large numbers of children via numerous social projects, product donations, and substantial financial investment over the years.
Her fashion brand NIINI has marked commercial success with growing production volumes and revenue milestones.
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