If you live anywhere near the Tri-State area, you probably feel like you know Sheree Paolello. She’s been a fixture on WLWT-TV for over two decades. You see her every night at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., delivering the news with that specific blend of authority and warmth that only local legends truly master. But lately, people have been digging. The search traffic for Sheree Paolello first husband has spiked, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
We love a good "office romance" story, and Sheree’s high-profile marriage to her co-anchor Mike Dardis is the stuff of broadcast legend. They’re the "Co-Anchors for Life." But before the 2019 wedding that basically shut down Mt. Adams, there was a whole other chapter of Sheree’s life that she kept relatively private.
The Mystery of the First Marriage
Most viewers didn't start asking questions about Sheree’s dating history until she and Mike Dardis went public in 2017. Before that, Sheree was known primarily as a powerhouse journalist and a devoted mother of three boys. She rarely, if ever, spoke about her former spouse by name on air.
While Sheree has never made a spectacle of her past, she has been open about the reality of being a single mother during her rise to the top of the Cincinnati news game. When Mike Dardis joined the station in 2012, both he and Sheree were actually married to other people. It’s a detail that often gets glossed over in the "fairytale" narrative of their current relationship.
Why We Don't Hear a Name
You won't find her first husband's name plastered across her social media or in WLWT press releases. There's a reason for that. Unlike her current husband, her first spouse wasn't a public figure. He wasn't sitting next to her under the bright studio lights.
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In the world of local news, there is a very thin line between being a "personality" and having a private life. Sheree has managed to maintain that boundary better than most. She has confirmed in various interviews, including a deep-dive with Cincinnati Magazine, that both she and Mike were navigating the complexities of being single parents and managing high-stress careers before they eventually found each other.
Balancing Three Kids and a Breaking News Career
The most significant "evidence" of Sheree's first marriage isn't a name in a tabloid—it's her three sons. She has often spoken about the "delicate balance" of raising them while working the grueling night shift.
- She FaceTime's her kids every night before the 11 p.m. broadcast.
- She has openly admitted to crying on the way to work because she was missing a game or a school event.
- Her focus has always been on being a "mom first," even when she's the most recognizable face in town.
Honestly, the identity of the Sheree Paolello first husband matters a lot less than the impact that era of her life had on her. It shaped her into the empathetic reporter she is today. When she interviews a parent who has lost a child or a family struggling through a crisis, that compassion isn't faked. It comes from a woman who has navigated the ups and downs of a "previous life" while the cameras were off.
How Mike Dardis Changed the Narrative
It’s almost impossible to talk about Sheree’s past without mentioning how it led to her present. When Dardis arrived from Seattle in 2012, he was just another co-anchor—her fourth in three years, actually. They had "immediate chemistry," but they kept it strictly professional for years.
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The transition from "first husband" to "single mom" to "engaged co-anchor" was a slow burn. They didn't even start dating until 2017. They were so worried about their careers that they used to date out of town just to avoid being spotted by viewers. Could you imagine? Two of the most famous people in Cincinnati trying to sneak into a restaurant in a different ZIP code just to have a quiet dinner.
Eventually, the secret got out in the most "tech-fail" way possible. Mike accidentally texted their boss about Sheree instead of a friend. Talk about an awkward Monday morning meeting.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception? That there's some "scandalous" reason why the first husband isn't mentioned. In reality, it’s just a matter of privacy. Not everyone who marries a journalist wants to be part of the "brand."
Sheree’s first marriage belongs to a version of her that existed before she was the "Queen of Cincinnati News." It was the era of reporting from Ground Zero after 9/11 and finding her footing as a young journalist in Charlotte and beyond.
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Lessons from Sheree's Journey
If you're looking for a takeaway from Sheree Paolello's personal history, it’s about resilience. She didn't let a divorce or the challenges of single motherhood stall her career. Instead, she used those experiences to become more relatable to her audience.
- Privacy is a Choice: Just because you're on TV doesn't mean your whole history is public property.
- Timing is Everything: She met her "dream partner" while they were both married to others, but they waited until the timing was right to pursue anything.
- Family First: No matter who the husband is, the kids remain the priority.
Basically, Sheree Paolello is a reminder that our first chapters don't define the whole book. Whether you're curious about the Sheree Paolello first husband because of the gossip or because you've followed her career for twenty years, the real story is her growth. She went from a young reporter trying to "have it all" to a woman who finally found balance in her mid-fifties.
If you want to support local journalism or just keep up with Sheree and Mike's life in Mason, the best thing you can do is actually tune in. They've earned their spot as the Tri-State's favorite couple, but they're still reporters at heart, fighting for the stories that matter to the community.
Next Steps: You can follow Sheree's "Professional Mom" journey on her social media, where she occasionally shares updates on her sons and her "bonus kids" with Mike. For those interested in her investigative work, look up her Edward R. Murrow-winning series on the "fugitive doctor"—it’s some of the best reporting to ever come out of Cincinnati.