"This was the first time that I’d seen him as Derek Jeter" - When Hannah Jeter pinpointed when she realized she was dating a New York icon

Both Derek Jeter and Hannah Jeter were celebrities before they started dating. Hannah was a supermodel while Jeter was a fan favorite as he led the New York Yankees in 20 seasons, which resulted in five World Series titles and an unanimous Hall of Fame election.

In 2012, the duo met at a public restaurant in NYC, where Jeter was with his friends while Hannah arrived with her mother. A mutual friend went out of the way and introduced both of them. Little did Hannah know that Jeter was a big baseball star.

In her Players Tribune column published in February 2017, Hannah recalled her first collection of events where she finally came to terms that she wasn't just dating a normal baseball player, she was dating "Derek Jeter."

"That offseason was sort of a bubble," Hannah said. "I don’t think I realized the full magnitude of his career — of everything — until I went to Yankee Stadium for the season opener in April. You have to understand: Up to that point, I’d only really known him as Derek, this great guy I was dating.

"This was the first time that I’d seen him as Derek Jeter: a New York icon, a Yankees hero."

Upon seeing several affectionate signs made by fans in the stadium, Hannah said:

"It felt almost as if New York and I were dating the same person. As if I was in love with the same person as millions of other people. I thought, Here’s this guy, who I go home and watch TV and order takeout with — and the rest of the world feels like they have a piece of him too.

"It was strange. I didn’t know how to reconcile it all."

Reason why Derek Jeter and Hannah Jeter stayed indoors in early stages of dating

It wasn't easy for Derek Jeter and Hannah to avoid cameras. Paparazzi would follow them everywhere they go, giving them little and almost no private life while outside.

This is why the duo stayed indoors most of the time.

"When Derek Jeter walks into a room … the whole room takes notice. Paparazzi followed us at times," Hannah said. "People interrupted us during meals. The only way to maintain some sort of privacy — to be together, just the two of us — was to stay in.

"It’s funny: You don’t see many photos from the early part of our relationship … and that’s why. We rarely went anywhere."

Hannah was spotted wearing an engagement ring in November 2015. The couple soon confirmed the news and tied the knot in July 2016 at Meadowood Napa Valley resort in St. Helena, California.

The duo are now parents to three daughters and a son.