Garcelle was born in Haiti. Her mother, Marie-Claire, was a teacher who moved Garcelle and her six older children to Massachusetts after a divorce from her father, Axel, four years prior. At age 16, the family moved again to Miami. At 17, Garcelle pursued a modeling career in New York. She got a break on Aaron Spelling's TV show, Models Inc. (1994). She then joined L.A.'s comedy troupe, The Groundlings. She became engaged to Michael Nilon, a talent agent. She was formerly married to producer Daniel Saunders for 6-1/2 years with whom she had a son, Oliver (B. 1992).
