Vanna White has been gracing television screens across America for decades. But there's a
lot you probably don't know about the "Wheel of Fortune" star. Here's Vanna White's transformation
over the years.
White was born in South Carolina in 1957, and she was raised in the town of North Myrtle
Beach. She told Grand Strand magazine,
"Growing up in a small town like North Myrtle Beach was awesome and to my benefit. I've
taken that small-town girl and same morals to Hollywood and still I feel I'm not that
different."
White has Latin roots, as her father was born in Cuba and her grandparents are from Spain.
Her father left when she was born, and her parents divorced when she was an infant, according
to Biography. White was instead raised by her mother and her stepfather, Herbert White
Jr., who legally adopted her when she was 3 years old.
It wasn't until White was 12 years old that she learned Herbert was not her biological
father. However, it doesn't seem to have made too much of a difference to White. She later
said on Larry King Live,
"My stepfather, Herbert, [...] is really my father. He's raised me from the time I was
three."
After graduating from high school, White moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for college. She enrolled
in and attended the Atlanta School for Fashion and Design, and she studied topics like fashion
merchandising and poise, according to CBS Sunday Morning, with the ultimate goal of
becoming a professional model. Luckily, White's college education worked in her favor, since
much of her role on "Wheel of Fortune" calls for her to be poised on camera.
"I'm a professional model and I'd like to advance my career in this business and I enjoy
meeting people."
After attending college in Atlanta, White made the decision to head to Hollywood. And
like so many young college graduates, her finances were low. In her interview with CBS
Sunday Morning, she said,
"I had $1,000 to my name — $300 for the car, $700 for the apartment, and a job immediately,
[...] waitressing."
White's foray into the world of professional modeling would prove difficult on the west
coast, and she struggled to find work, just as many others do when they arrive in Los
Angeles. She told Biography, "I couldn't pay the rent, and I was too proud
to ask my dad for rent money. So, I did some lingerie shots."
Before White became a nightly fixture on our television screens, she first appeared on
another beloved daytime TV game show. In 1980, she was a contestant on "The Price Is Right."
She was 23 years old at the time and brand new to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, White's
time on "The Price Is Right" wasn't very successful. She told Yahoo Superfan in 2016,
"I didn't win a doggone thing, except for those lovely parting gifts."
The most memorable part of her appearance on the game show was being called out by Bob
Barker. He told her that she probably wasn't doing too well with her price guesses because
she kept looking at herself in the monitor. However, White had a different version of
the story to tell. She explained,
"I was looking at my friend to get an answer from her! It just looked like I was looking
in the monitor."
After making the decision to go to Los Angeles in her early 20s, White unfortunately wasn't
able to stay long. Shortly after arriving in LA, White discovered that her mother was
incredibly ill. She was sick with ovarian cancer, according to Grand Strand magazine,
and she was not expected to live long. In her interview on Larry King Live, she said,
"It was very tough. I went back home. I took care of the situation and then I came back
out here, raring to go."
When asked if the "toughest loss of all" was her mother, White responded, "Absolutely."
White was very close with her mother, and she’s always remembered her through all
of her successes. On Mother's Day 2015, she wrote in an Instagram post,
"My mom Joan was the best mother ever! I love you with all my heart! You will always be
with me in spirit."
White's big break in Hollywood came in the early 1980s, when she landed the co-host gig
of "Wheel of Fortune." White auditioned with 200 other women to fill the spot left vacant
by the previous co-host. Merv Griffin, the show's creator, was the one to ultimately
decide on White as the new co-host. Pat Sajak actually didn't recommend White and has since
said that he told Griffin not to select her. He told CBS Sunday Morning,
"Not that she wasn't lovely and wonderful and personable and all that, but she was the
most nervous, by far, of any of them."
Griffin didn't listen to Sajak, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I asked Merv, I said, 'So why did you choose me?' and he said, 'Because you turn the letters
better than anyone else."
White has been co-hosting "Wheel of Fortune" with Sajak for decades. Shortly after White
made her debut on the game show, "Vanna-mania" swept the nation. The American people couldn't
get enough of the beautiful woman turning the letters with a big smile on her face.
When asked by CBS Sunday Morning about when she knew that she had made it big, White said,
"That was when I was in the grocery line checking out, and I was on the cover of Newsweek. I
thought, 'Wow, I guess I've made it.'"
In 1987, White experienced both a career high and a career low. She released her autobiography
entitled Vanna Speaks — the cheeky title poked fun at her mostly silent role on the
popular TV game show. However, White's book release was overshadowed by bigger news. That
year's May issue of Playboy magazine featured White on the cover — and America was shocked,
to say the least.
When White had first arrived in Los Angeles, she had taken some risqué lingerie photos
to pay her rent. Those photos were purchased by Playboy's Hugh Hefner, who put them both
as a spread in his magazine and on the cover, according to Time magazine. White told Fox
News,
"He's the one who put me on the cover of the magazine. I didn't do it for Playboy."
Luckily, the network behind "Wheel of Fortune" did not take action against White, who shared
with Fox News,
"I was very thankful that I had such support behind me."
Soon enough, the American public forgave and forgot White's scandalous photographs.
After the devastating passing of her fiancé in a plane crash in 1986, White found love
with restaurateur George Santo Pietro, and White and Pietro got married. In 1992, the
couple had an exciting announcement, and, of course, White took advantage of her day
job to tell the world in a fun way. On an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" in 1992, a contestant
solved a puzzle with the answer, "VANNA'S PREGNANT," according to the Los Angeles Times.
It was a lovely way to share the news, but unfortunately, her announcement was premature.
White suffered a miscarriage shortly after. In an interview with Closer Weekly, White
said,
"I was so ready to be a mother. I don't know how you describe that loss."
In the face of such tragedy, White remembered the words her own mother had shared with her.
She shared,
"Never give up, no matter what. Follow your heart and follow your dream. And that's what
I did."
After a number of tragic losses, it's easy to think that White would lose motivation
to keep trying to expand her family. However, she didn't let the death of her mother and
her miscarriage defeat her. In 1994, she and her husband welcomed a healthy baby boy named
Nicholas. A couple years later, White gave birth to a daughter named Giovanna, according
to Closer Weekly.
White and Pietro were now a family of four, and White had finally achieved her dream of
becoming a mother two times over. She told the publication,
"We're faced with a lot of positives and negatives, and we have to accept them and do whatever
we can to get through it. Life is not perfect; just try to make the best of it. Be strong,
be kind to people, and be happy."
Unfortunately, White and Pietro would later divorce. After an engagement and breakup from
a businessman named Michael Kaye, White would settle into a relationship with contractor
John Donaldson.
When asked for the "proudest accomplishment" of her career by Larry King during a segment
on Larry King Now, White said that getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was her
Number 1 achievement. It's understandable she was so proud of it, considering not everyone
in entertainment is given the honor. White received her star in April 2006, after more
than 20 years of appearing on "Wheel of Fortune." At the ceremony celebrating the reveal of
her star, she said,
"I remember my parents telling me, at the age of 10, 'You can do anything you want.'
Dad, we did it!"
White was joined by her father, her co-host Pat Sajak, "Wheel of Fortune" creator Merv
Griffin, and "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek when she was presented with her star, which
was the 2,309th star on the Walk of Fame.
White became a spokesperson for Lion Brand Yarn after first discussing her love of crochet
on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" with guest host Joan Rivers in 1986. Her knowledge
of crochet grew even more when she released her own collection with Lion Brand Yarn in
2007 called "Vanna's Choice."
"She knows not to mess with my yarn when I'm crocheting."
White had first learned how to crochet when she was 5 years old, and her grandmother was
the one who taught her how to do it. Years later on "Wheel of Fortune," White saw her
hairdresser crocheting on set. She picked up the hobby again after getting a refresher
from her hairdresser, and later taught her daughter how to crochet, too. In an interview
with Etsy, she said,
"Whenever I have downtime on the set, I crochet. I find it very relaxing and I have something
to show for the time I've spent doing it."
White donates half of her yarn's proceeds. By 2016, she'd donated more than $1,700,000
to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In 2013, White received an immense honor. She officially became the world's most frequent
clapper. On an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" in May 2013, a representative from the Guinness
Book of World Records presented White with the record certificate. The rep said,
"It was an honor to present this record to White and recognize her for the encouragement
she has given contestants for the past 30 seasons on Wheel of Fortune."
Guinness stated that as of January 31st, 2013, White had clapped 3,480,864 times over 30
seasons of "Wheel of Fortune." This number was reached by averaging 606 claps per episode.
That sure is a lot of clapping, and White was recognized for the unbelievable accomplishment
during the show's taping. Since White's record of more than 3 million claps was achieved
in 2013, after 30 years of filming the TV game show, the number is certain to be significantly
higher now.
"I love my job, I love the show."
White is known for her wardrobe on "Wheel of Fortune." The game show co-host spends
every episode decked out in a fabulous dress with high heels. White's dresses always manage
to awe and inspire, but what is truly impressive is that in more than 35 years of filming,
she has never worn the same dress twice, as White shared on "The Wendy Williams Show."
The count of how many dresses she has worn was believed to be around 6,500 in 2017, and
that number just continues to rise as the show continues.
Before taping begins, White tries on a minimum of 50 dresses before selecting the ones that
she will wear for the show, according to ABC News. With "Wheel of Fortune" recording six
shows in one day, White has about ten minutes to change dresses between show tapings.
While White isn't allowed to keep the dresses, according to InStyle, she does have some favorites
after years of wearing so many different styles. It seems she selects her favorites due to
their practicality. She told ABC News,
"I like wearing the short ones best. Just because I don't trip."
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