Ashley Graham, with her demands for a more inclusive fashion industry and subsequent refusal to conform to industry norms, has taken the world of fashion and modeling by storm. In her 2015 Ted Talk, “Plus-Size? More like my size,” she subverts the narrow beauty standards upheld by the industry and, above all else, rejects the “plus-size” label that too often casts curvy models as the other.

These days, she relishes her YouTube series, Pretty Big Deal With Ashley Graham, where she explores issues in the world of celebrity and advocates for women of all shapes and sizes.

Still, Graham confesses, it was her husband of nearly a decade that pushed her to dream even bigger. Here are six things to know about her husband, Justin Ervin:

1. He and Graham have been married for over nine years.

View this post on Instagram

che belli che siamo ????????

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on

The couple wed in 2010. 

2. He's an accomplished filmmaker.

The master class-educated filmmaker has an MFA in social documentary filmmaking from New York’s School of Visual Arts, according to his website.  His debut documentary, As In A Mirror, established his investigative eye. The film followed the peaks and valleys dotting the lives of Senegalese merchants who immigrated to Italy in pursuit of greater opportunity. Today, his cinematographic credits include work with Netflix, Vogue, BET, Gap and Swimsuits For All, where he provided direction for Graham’s ad campaigns, among others. 

3. He and Graham practiced abstinence until marriage.

Graham, a Lincoln, Nebraska, native, has been open about her commitment to her faith. Ervin, as fate would have it, shares the supermodel’s values. The couple agreed to wait until marriage to be intimate. In conversation with Elle, the woman’s advocate joked that she had already “slept with half of New York City,” before meeting Ervin, making the decision to wait that more special.

“Something that it did for us was build up our friendship, and it also built up our trust and communication,” she said. 

4. He’s a new dad.

View this post on Instagram

I love you, son.

A post shared by Justin Ervin (@mrjustinervin) on

The new parents introduced baby Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin on Graham’s YouTube show, Pretty Big Deal. He was born January 18, 2020.

5. His ambition is contagious.

Graham, who was discovered at 12 years old in an Omaha, Nebraska, mall, has achieved multi-hyphenate status. Today, she leverages her voice and visibility in the fashion industry to spark larger conversations about advocacy and body positivity. It was Ervin, she said in an interview with Elle, who first ignited her passion to amplify her voice. 

“He would get home from work, and I would still be in the same position on the couch watching Real Housewives,” she said. “He’s like, ‘Is this what you want with your life? … don’t you want more? Because [modeling] isn’t gonna last forever.’”

Graham, who said launching her lifestyle brand is one of her professional priorities, works as a spokesperson for Revlon and collaborates with fashion companies like Swimsuits For All on designs for the everyday woman. Her series, Pretty Big Deal has featured some of the industry’s biggest names. The advocate used her conversation with Kim Kardashian-West to challenge the reality star and beauty mogul on her influence surrounding body image.

6. He and Graham complete a 24-hour fast every week.

 Graham, who has been open about the couple’s decision to practice abstinence, told Elle that their sacrifices weren’t confined to the bedroom. Once a week, Ervin and Graham embark on a 24-hour fast. They practice fasting, she explains, to stay strong and united.

“There’s a verse in the Bible that says, ‘Where two or more are gathered, He is in the midst.’ So as we do it together, it just makes it even stronger,” the new mom explained. “When you fast and you pray, it’s bringing more sensitivity to hear from God. … We want more sensitivity to be able to hear from God in the big decisions that we’re making.” 

7. They met at church.

View this post on Instagram

All I need in this life of sin…

A post shared by Justin Ervin (@mrjustinervin) on

Indeed, the couple sharpens their spiritual center against the iron of sacrifice. Graham says Ervin was raised in the church, just like her.

“My husband was raised super-charismatic evangelical,” she told Elle. “And I was raised Southern Baptist—like, you don’t even raise your hands.”

While church provided the couple with a natural path to one another, the particular Sunday that introduced them was a bit less typical. It was “Porn Sunday,” InStyle reports.  

“It's a day where ex-porn stars came in and talked about how their life had been changed by church and God,” the model explained.

Graham, who was greeting church guests in the elevator, said Ervin walked on with a friend and the rest was history.

“Well, his friend said, ‘If you don’t talk to her I am,’ and that was it!" She told the magazine.