Vanessa Minnillo
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| Vanessa Minnillo | |
 Vanessa Minnillo |
|
| Born | November 9, 1980 (age 26) Clark AB, Philippines |
| Height | 5' 8" (1.70 m) |
| Notable roles | Total Request Live VJ |
Vanessa Joy Minnillo (born November 9, 1980) is an American television personality. She is a host on MTV's TRL and was Miss Teen USA 1998.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Vanessa Minnillo was born in the Clark Air Base, Philippines to Vincent Minnillo and Helen Berecero. Her father is an American of Italian and Irish descent.
The ethnicity of her mother is not clear, however. According to two interviews, her mother is a Filipina from the province of Leyte;[1] [2]. On the other hand, in an interview in the October 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine, Minnillo referred to her estranged mother as Polynesian.[3]
As a child, her family moved numerous times due to her father's work in the United States Air Force. Her family spent time in California, Nevada, Florida, Germany and Japan before eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina. Her parents are divorced, and she has a close relationship with stepmother Donna Minnillo, and an older adopted brother, Vincent. Vanessa is fluent in English and has passive knowledge of two Philippine languages, namely Kapampangan and Tagalog.[citation needed]
Minnillo became Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998, and went on to win the 1998 Miss Teen USA Pageant. She was the first delegate from South Carolina to capture the title and received the Congeniality award in 1998. In the competition she received the highest score in the Interview, Swimsuit and Evening Gown categories.
[edit] Career
Minnillo was one of the finalists in E!'s competition to find a replacement for Brooke Burke as hostess for the show Wild On. The job eventually went to Cindy Taylor. Minnillo has been hosting TRL on MTV since 2003. Her first interview on TRL was with hip-hop artist Chingy. In 2005, she also became a New York-based reporter for the entertainment news show, Entertainment Tonight. Before joining MTV, she had minor roles in The Bold and the Beautiful, television series City Guys, That's Life, and Maybe It's Me. In addition to her work on TRL, she has served as a host or co-host for a variety of MTV specials, and served as a celebrity judge for the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2003.
In May 2006, Maxim magazine listed Minnillo as #15 in their Hot 100 issue. She was listed as #62 in the 2005 issue and was the Maxim cover girl for the second time for both the October 2005 and October 2006 issues.
[edit] Personal life
Minnillo had an on-and-off relationship with New York Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter from November 2003 to early 2006.[citation needed] She is currently dating singer Nick Lachey and was featured in the music video for his song "What's Left of Me", which was nominated for "Best Male Video" at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Coincidentally, Minnillo and Lachey share the same November 9th birthday and celebrated publically in Las Vegas with various parties.
| Preceded by: Shelly Moore |
Miss Teen USA 1998 |
Succeeded by: Ashley Coleman |
| Miss Universe Organization Titleholders 1998 |
||
| Miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam |
Miss USA Shawnae Jebbia |
Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo |
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Nepales, Ruben V.. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Pampanga-born Vanessa Minnillo going places. Retrieved on October 17, 2006.
- ^ Ayuyang, Rachelle Q.. Filipinas. There's Something about Vanessa. Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ Maxim Online. Dressed to kill…. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
