For as long as they’ve been around, game shows have always been popular with viewing audiences. For many, Wheel of Fortune is a favorite from this particular category of entertainment, with fans of the show familiar with Vanna White, the hostess of the show since 1982.
Similar to Katelyn Smith in many respects, White was excellent in front of the camera and became a key cog in the wheel of the show.
Vanna White Age & Wiki
Now aged 65 and retired, Vanna White was born on February 18 in 1957 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Following the divorce of her parents when she was an infant, she decided to take on the name of her stepfather, Herbert White Jr, who sadly passed away in April this year.
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White has certainly represented his name well after graduating from high school, working as a famous model, and then pursuing and having a somewhat successful acting career.
White’s Career Highlights
Alongside her educational achievements, Vanna White was a contestant for Miss Georgia USA at the 1978 pageant. An unknown personality at that point, a number of television appearances followed soon after. Her first appearance came as a guest on The Price Is Right, but it’s her role as hostess on the Wheel of Fortune that most people know her for.
An iconic game show, there is a similar Spin a Win Live casino game people play in the modern world, with Playtech’s take on the classic Wheel of Fortune setup proving to be extremely popular in 2022. For White, alongside her game show highlights, she also appeared in a number of movies, most notably Looker and Graduation Day. She was also pictured by Playboy wearing see-through lingerie before her career really took off.
White Holds a Guinness World Record
Although it’s a rather comical award, on the whole, Vanna White holds a world record, too. Awarded the Guinness World Record certificate for most frequent clapper during her time as one of three substitute hostesses that co-hosted Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White clapped a remarkable 3,480,864 times across the show’s 30 seasons. Working out as 606 claps per show, nobody can take the achievement away from her.
Vanna White’s Husband and Married Life
After her first partner, named John Gibson, was killed in a plane crash in 1986, White met and then ended up marrying George Santo Pietro in December 1990. A respected restaurant owner, the pair were happily married before a devastating miscarriage threw them off track. Thankfully, the pair reunited and ended up having two children together, Nicholas (Niko), born in 1994, and Giovanna (Gigi), born in 1997.
Sadly, though, the marriage ended in divorce in 2002, with White eventually meeting Southern California businessman, Michael Kaye, soon after. The pair are no longer together, with recent speculation suggesting that the former Wheel of Fortune hostess is with John Donaldson, a contractor who she has known since 2012.
What Is Vanna White’s Net Worth?
While nothing is official, it’s estimated that Vanna White’s net worth is around $85 million. With a salary of around $10 million at the time of writing, her successful forays into a number of different areas of entertainment have resulted in a number of large earnings. She is even said to be wealthier than her co-host on Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak, who has a net worth of $70 million.
White puts her money to good use by investing in apartment buildings and property development. She is also a patron of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and has donated $1.8 million to the program.
