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Vanessa Minnillo Profile |
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Birth Date: November 9, 1980
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Birth Place:Clark Air Force Base, Philippines
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Birth Name: Vanessa Minnillo
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Vanessa Minnillo was born on November 9, 1980, at Clark Air
Force Base in Pampanga, Philippines. Her father, Vince
Minnillo, was a USAF aircrew member stationed at the base.
Her mother, Helen Berecero, was a Filipina who Vince had met
and married while stationed in the country. Vanessa was
raised alongside an adopted brother, Vincent, two years
older than her.
Vanessa traveled widely throughout her childhood. When she
was 1 year old, the family moved to Los Angeles where, in
1983, her parents separated. Vanessa moved with her mother
to Florida, then to Nevada. Following a 1986 divorce,
Vanessa's mother entered into a second marriage with another
serviceman. The new family moved to Turkey.
Vanessa was forced to flee the country with her mother and
brother when Iraq, Turkey's neighbor, invaded Kuwait in
1990. Upon return to the US, Vanessa and her brother were
dropped off at their father's doorstep. They haven't heard
from their mother since.
Vanessa and her brother settled into life with their father
and stepmother in Charleston, South Carolina. Vanessa always
excelled scholastically, even as she attended seven
different schools while abroad, and continued to do so at
Charleston's Bishop England High School.
In 1997, Vanessa was encouraged to enter a beauty pageant by
her boyfriend's father. That October, she was crowned Miss
Teen South Carolina. The victory qualified her to compete in
the national Miss Teen USA pageant. In August 1998, she
swept all categories at the event, held in Shreveport,
Louisiana. Unfortunately, live coverage of her remarkable
win was pre-empted by a televised address by then President
Clinton about the Lewinsky scandal.
Vanessa returned to high school, where she continued life as
an honor student and head cheerleader. She spent her
weekends, however, traveling the country as Miss Teen USA
and a national spokeswoman for The Partnership Against
Drugs.
Although she felt that a college degree is essential, the
immediate opportunities for Vanessa coming out of high
school were such that she wanted to strike while the iron
was hot and pursue a showbiz career. An appearance on Live
With Regis and Kathie Lee had demonstrated that she had
natural ease in front of the camera.
Vanessa moved to Los Angeles and worked as a host on Fox
Sports Net and ESPN, and enjoyed a stint on the daytime soap
The Bold and The Beautiful. She was a runner-up for
replacing Brooke Burke on E!'s Wild On.
In 2003, Vanessa did her first work for MTV. She appeared on
Beach House 2003, and network execs were pleased with her
work. Since September 2003, she's been working full-time at
MTV's Times Square studio in New York City. In addition to
ad hoc voice work, she's a regular VJ on Total Request Live.
Vanessa continues to host other shows and specials,
including 2 Punk Rock 4 This: The Real World San Diego
Reunion, Spring Break Celebrity Fantasies, MTV Prom Date,
and Never Before Scene: I, Robot.
Vanessa Minnillo also found herself in the spotlight during
a fling with New York Yankee Derek Jeter. |
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Other
Information |
Miss Teen USA of 1998 and was named Miss Congeniality
Was a judge on the Miss Teen USA 2003 program
Named #62 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Has an older adopted brother, Vincent
Is Filipino & Irish/Italian |
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