Isabel Preysler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isabel Preysler (born February 18, 1951 in Manila, Philippines) is a Spanish journalist, former model, and socialite who appears on the tabloid ¡Hola! magazine, a former TV talk show host, and a fashion designer in Madrid, Spain.
Preysler was born in Manila, Philippines. The third of six children to a wealthy Filipino mestizo family in the Philippines, during her youth Isabel modeled at charity fashion shows and was crowned queen of a Manila beauty pageant. She is known in the Spanish press as "La Reina del Glamour" (the Queen of Glamour) and is the mother of international pop superstar Enrique Iglesias, Julio José Iglesias, Chabeli Iglesias, Tamara Falcó and Ana Boyer.
At the age of 18, she was sent to study at Mary Ward College, a Roman Catholic university in Spain, and it was at a Madrid party in 1970 that she was introduced to a family friend by the name of Julio Iglesias, who at the time was not famous yet and was still a young man dreaming of becoming a singer. They were just two youngsters in love. The couple announced their engagement just seven months later and were married for seven years, during which time they had three children, Chabeli, Julio Jr. and Enrique. In accordance with their rising careers, Julio as a singer, and Isabel as a model in Spain and Europe, they exploded onto the scene in 1971 and became overnight superstars in Spain and Latin America.
Following their divorce in 1978, Isabel launched her own career as a journalist for Spanish magazine ¡Hola! and her first interviewee was Julio himself. She married the Marquis de Grignon, Carlos Falcó, on 23 March 1980, a short-lived marriage resulted in the birth of a second daughter, Tamara. She later married former Spanish finance minister, Miguel Boyer, with whom she has another daughter, Ana. This marriage symbolized for critics the alliance of the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers Party, part of the leftist opposition to Francisco Franco, and to the "beautiful people" (aristocracy and bourgeoisie).
Often dubbed "La Perla de Manila" by the Spanish media ("The Pearl of Manila"), readers at Hola magazine have voted Isabel as the most elegant and best-dressed women in Spain in 1991, 2002, and 2004, and she has consistently topped the best-dressed lists over the years in various Spanish magazines.
In 1984, she hosted the Spanish lifestyle TV programme, "Hoy." She has been chosen by several companies to be an image sponsor for their products, including Ferrero Rocher, Suárez jewelery, and, most notably, the Spanish tile company, Porcelanosa.
In May 2001, she was Prince Charles' guest of honour for the opening of his Spanish Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in England.
Most recently she launched her official website at the suggestion of her son Enrique, who is one of her biggest fans.
As Enrique points she is noted for conserving her beauty in spite of her age. She, her family and her home are frequent presences in Spanish gossip magazines.
