We Have an Update on Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux and Dani Soares

After taking a break from social media, Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux returned to Instagram on January 19 to share the latest on his relationship with Dani Soares, including the results of a paternity test.

Jean-Luc previously shared at the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 virtual reunion (clip above) that he requested to have a DNA test performed after Dani, whom he was romantically involved with last season, told him that she was pregnant and that he was the father. Although Dani agreed to it, Jean-Luc had yet to take a paternity test at the time of the reunion taping, where he appeared separately from the rest of the crew in a solo conversation with host Andy Cohen. Dani would later welcome her first child, daughter Lilly, following the reunion taping in late May.

The deckhand began his Instagram post, which Jean-Luc had tagged in Panama, by explaining his absence from social media after last posting in June. "As the year 2021 came to a close[, a] new year in 2022 begins with high ambitions and positivity," his message began. "My silence on social media has been intentional and much needed. I used that time to focus on what was important to me and my mental health."

He then went on to share that he did end up taking a paternity test, of which he also revealed the results. "I can’t let 2022 go any further without sharing some beautiful news. An international DNA test that was done [a while] ago was no small feat," Jean-Luc said. "I’m happy and proud to say Sweet and beautiful Lilly [Rose] is my daughter."

Jean-Luc and Dani were not on speaking terms at the time of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 reunion. However, Jean-Luc shared that their relationship has much improved since then. "Dani and I have been working and communicating together to the best of our ability," he said. "Given Dani is a full time mother and worker, and I being gone for extended periods of time not knowing when I will step back on land [this] is imperative for the sake of our daughter as she needs both parents in her life."

"With that being said, going forward, I will no longer feel the need to explain myself to anybody, when realizing people only understand from their level of perception," he added.

Jean-Luc ended his note feeling optimistic about his next chapter. "I am thankful for my friends [and] family who have stuck by my side through thick and thin," he wrote. "As I look forward to this new year with new opportunities, I will be striving to be the best man and father that I can be. God bless."

After the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 charter season ended, Dani relocated to Australia and started working as a beauty therapist while also studying to become a nurse, on top of raising Lilly. Dani, who has also been rocking a shorter 'do as of late, often shares updates on her life with her little one on Instagram, including celebrating Lilly turning 6 months old in November and her very first Christmas. "You've changed my life in so many ways," Dani gushed on Instagram on November 26. "I hope I never have to tell you that you are my number 1 priority, I hope my actions will always show you that."

Dani was also excited to see what the future holds for her and Lilly as she reflected on 2021 in a New Year's Eve Instagram post. "WHAT.A.YEAR!!! Hoping for health, peace and many more blessings in 2022!" she wrote alongside a video of some of her most memorable moments of 2021. "We are ready."