Gisela Valcárcel

Gisela Valcárcel
Born Sonia Mercedes Gisela Valcárcel Álvarez
26 January 1963
Lima, Peru
Other names La reina (the queen), La señito
Occupation hostess, actress, writer, businesswoman
Years active 21
Spouse(s) Roberto Martínez (divorced), Javier Carmona (divorced)
Children Ethel Pozo Valcárcel
Awards Stevie Awards 2009

Sonia Mercedes Gisela Valcárcel Álvarez (26 January 1963 in La Victoria District, Lima) is a Peruvian television hostess, actress,[1] and businesswoman.

Personal life

Valcarcel was born on 26 January 1963, to her parents Jorge Valcárcel and Teresa Álvarez. She studied at Institución Educativa Teresa González de Fanning. At age 17 she became pregnant by her boyfriend, resulting in her daughter Ethel.

She started as a secretary at a car company and was hired as an extra for theatre shows.

On 10 June 1995 she married Roberto Martínez Vera-Tudela, a popular footballer. The wedding grabbed headlines in the national press and was broadcast live on television. After some years, the couple divorced.

She was involved in a political scandal when a video of her with José Francisco Carreño Crousillat and Vladimiro Montesinos, where they talked about 1 hour. The footage shows that Montesinos informed Valcárcel of measures to be taken to prevent the spread of a book (La Señito by Carlos Vidal) that reveals intimate aspects of Valcárcel's life. This was denounced as an offense against public administration. A lawsuit was not filed since the judge dismissed the complaint and acquitted the parties involved of all charges.

In the meantime, she also entered a phase of spiritual search that took her to India, where she met some religious leaders, including Sathya Sai Baba, and in the U.S. Deepak Chopra. This changed her perspective, bringing a stage of peace to her life. In 2006 after six years of romance, she married Javier Carmona. The couple separated shortly after the marriage due to a supposed affair between Carmona and another Peruvian entertainer Tula Rodriguez.

Biography

She started as a comic actress and a dancer ("vedette"), in the program Risas y Salsa and La gran Revista.

In 1987, Panamericana Televisión proposed conducting a Peruvian version of Hello Susana, which would be named "Alo Gisela". Valcárcel then became the queen of midday on Peruvian TV for several years during the late '80s and early '90s.

Her guests have been famous Latin American stars such as Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Guillermo Dávila, Ricardo Montaner, Shakira, María Antonieta de las Nieves, Isabel Pantoja, José Luis Rodríguez, Menudo, Ricky Martin, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, Rocío Dúrcal, and Paloma San Basilio. Her TV shows were always very popular due to her interaction with the audiences, including phone conversations on TV and offering advice to the audience, especially housewives. At the same time, she founded "Amarige Salon & Urban Spa", a beauty parlor.

Gisela Valcárcel simultaneously hosted Saturday nighttime television shows in the late nineties and early 2000, including a local version of Big Brother named La Casa de Gisela.

Her latest project is a local version of Bailando por un sueño in franchise with Mexican TV station Televisa. In January 2009 she travelled to the United States to get a new franchise in the Natpe conference. In February 2009 she returned to Lima with her new TV project: El Show de los Sueños, again in a franchise with Televisa.

In 2009 she was selected to be one of the personalities to help the recycling campaign in Peru.

In 2010 she hosted "El Gran Show" (the great show).

Businesswoman

Valcárcel currently owns and manages the Beauty Salons & Spas Lima "Amarige." She is the director of women's magazines Gisela and Amarige. Moreover, she runs her own television production company called GV Productions.

Gisela magazine

Gisela is a monthly magazine for women founded by Gisela Valcárcel. It has women's tips including: fashion, business, cooking, erotism, dieting and actors' news.

In 2008 Gisela announced that the magazine will be in standby and will come back renovated, because she is working hard in Los Reyes de la Pista (Perú).

GV Productions

GV Productions is a television producer. Valcárcel's program El Show de los sueños (Peru) runs on its network.

Writer

In 2005 her autobiography, My Name is Gisela, was published by Santillana Group. In it, she gives an account of her life from childhood, including her beginnings as a star and her coming to television as hostess of the program Aló Gisela.

“ If I talk about my sorrows and joys that is because what friends do: tell everything ”
 
— Gisela Valcarcel, at presentation of the book (translated from Spanish)

Appearances

As hostess

Public shows

In theatre

Films

Awards

Year Award Category Program Result
1997 Vitra Awards (Uruguay) Award for her 10 years of experience as a social communicator in the Peruvian television Award for her programs: Aló Gisela, Gisela en América, Así es Gisela. Winner
2008 Premios a la Excelencia Anda 2009 Excellence in production and realization Bailando por un sueño Winner
2008 Premios a la Excelencia Anda 2009 Excellence in entertainment programs Bailando por un sueño Winner
2008 El Comercio Awards Best competition program Bailando por un sueño Winner
2008 El Comercio Awards Female face from the year Bailando por un sueño Winner
2009 Stevie Awards Best competition and entertainment program El Show de los sueños (Peru) Winner

References

  1. ↑ Morocho, Ana (October 10, 2010). "Gisela Valcárcel: "Mario Vargas Llosa pertenece al mundo"". Peru.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 July 2011.