Vanna White

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George Santo Pietro (ex-husband; married in 1990-2002)

Date of birth: December 12, 1946

Vanna White’s personal life was not so happy. In her young years she was in love with an actor John Gibson, but he was killed in a plane crash. After that the model and TV host Vanna was depressed, but her fans supported her and she coped with her frustration with their help.

Being extremely beautiful, Vanna had lots of male fans, who were ready for everything to capture her heart. But she was married just once in her life.

George Santo Pietro was born in a small, but very prestigious Californian town of Beverly Hills. He started his career as a restaurateur, and was very successful in this area. The man ran a lavish restaurant in Bel-Air. George joined his food business with a huge passion to movie industry. In early 1990s he worked as a dolly grip, and not because he needed money, but because he wanted to be the part of this process. Later he turned into an occasional film producer and film director.

George was a big fan of Vanna White, an effective leggy blonde. No wonder that this rich man, who was so interested in movie making, fell in love just with celebrities. Previously he dated a famous actress, mostly known by her role in “Dynasty” – Linda Evans. They were an item during 4 years and had a daughter Andrea together. After their split in 1986 George fell in love with Vanna White.

Santo Pietro chose a long way to Vanna’s heart – he became her friend. He stood by her side, when she missed her late fiancé. In late 1980s they started dating.

White and Santo Pietro tied a knot on December 31, 1990. They dreamed about kids, but their first attempt was not successful – Vanna had a miscarriage. George supported her in this situation too. Soon they became parents of two cute kids.

Their marriage lasted for 12 happy years. But in May 2002 the couple divorced. The reason for such a decision was not publicized. George and Vanna tried to remain friends – mostly because of their kids. In 2005 George married another woman – a producer Melissa Mascari. Two years later the couple welcomed a daughter Chiara Santo Pietro. And what about Vanna White?

John Donaldson (boyfriend; dating since 2012)

Soon after her divorce beautiful Ms. White announced her engagement to a businessman Michael Kaye. She told that he was her soul mate. Nevertheless, after a year of relationship Vanna broke an engagement. Again, she didn’t share with her fans the reason of break-up.

But a beautiful woman can’t be single for long. Nowadays she is dating a contractor John Donaldson. Wheel of Fortune host and a businessman have been dating since 2012. He runs his own construction company, which he founded in 1994.

Before starting his own business John worked as a builder. He got just $5 per hour, but he had a dream to found his own company – and later he realized it.

Donaldson grew up in Santa Monica. From the earliest years he was interested in building, and decided to devote his life to this profession.

As for now, he makes houses for rich and famous people, such as an actor Richard Dreyfuss, a comedian Martin Mull and many others. The couple plans to get married.

Nicholas Santo Pietro (son with George Santo Pietro)

photo instagram officialvannawhite / chuckleberries2

Date of birth: June 10, 1994

Nicholas, who is called Nikko in a family circle, was born in Los Angeles. In spite of love of his parents to acting, he has never dreamed to become an entertainer. The young man studied agriculture science in Rogue Community College and later continued his education in this area at The University of Arizona.

Friends call Nikko “Mommy’s love”. The boy seems to be really close with his mother. He posts pics with her quite often on his page at FaceBook.

Nikko seems to have no girlfriend as for now. At the age of 19 the young man was experimenting with his sexuality. He lived with a man twice his older – Hare Krishna monk Jaycee Kesh. Nikko introduced his boyfriend to his parents and as he says, they liked Jaycee. In spite of his love to the monk, the young man was not sure, if he was really gay. He was just exploring this side of sexual relationships.

Till now Nikko and his boyfriend live together. “He is my back at hard times”, Vanna’s son wrote in FaceBook.

Gigi Santo Pietro (daughter with George Santo Pietro)

photo instagram / officialvannawhite

Date of birth: July 1, 1997

The youngest child and the only daughter of an actress Vanna White looks as beautiful as her mother. When the girl was 11, she participated alongside her mom in a fashion show, arranged by Lion Brand Yarn.

In spite of her model-like look, Gigi decided not to follow her mother’s pace and stay away from show business. She is a student of the New York University. The girl is fond of art and photography.

Miguel Angel Rosich (biological father)

The birth surname of the popular actress Vanna White is Rosich. She got that surname from her biological father Miguel Angel Rosich. He left the family when his daughter was still a baby. From that moment Vanna didn’t stay in touch with him, so just a few facts are known about Mr. Rosich. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It’s rumored, that one of Miguel’s ancestors was the first Mayor of Ponce.

According to Vanna’s interview in 2007, she didn’t know, who her real father was, till she turned 12. Her mother re-married, and she was adopted by her stepfather Herbert White Jr. The girl bore his surname and considered him her real dad. The only thing Vanna knows about her biological parent is that he was an artist.

Herbert Stackley White Jr. (adoptive father)

photo instagram / officialvannawhite

Date of birth: September 6, 1925

Date of death: April 1, 2022

Although Vanna wasn’t blood-related to Herbert White Jr, she considered him as her real father. On her Instagram, the popular TV host often posted common pictures with Herbert and sent words of love to him. On April 1, 2022, she announced the sad news about her adoptive father’s death. Nevertheless, she added that the man passed away peacefully in the morning.

Herbert White Jr grew up in Olanta, SC. He was the son of Herbert White Sr and his wife Marie Brockington. He was one of 6 kids in the family, and all of them had passed away before Herbert.

The man had been working in the post office for 20 years. He also managed the restaurant and the hot dog store. He was married twice, to JoAnn Spencer Celani and Joan Nicholas White. With his third wife Paula, he spent long 40 years till her death.

Joan was Vanna’s aunt, and she invited the girl to become a member of their family. Except for Vanna and her brother Chip, Herbert was a father to 3 other kids: Joe, dawn, and Hope.

At the end of his life, Herbert lost his eyesight. Nevertheless, he remained hardworking and optimistic. Vanna misses him very much as of now. She still congratulates him on Father’s Day through Instagram.

Joan Marie Rosich-White (mother)

photo instagram / officialvannawhite

Date of birth: June 2, 1936

Date of death: July 10, 1980

Vanna White’s mother was born in Syracuse, New York. Her maiden name was Nicholas. Later she moved to North Carolina, where she gave birth to a daughter Vanna. The woman died at the age of 44. According to Vanna’s words, she was a very kind lady, who was deeply involved in charity. She was always ready to help – and that feature the TV host inherited from her.

Chip White (younger brother)

photo facebook / OfficialVannaWhite

Date of birth: circa 1960

Vanna’s younger brother is named Chip White. He spent his early years in North Myrtle Beach. Later he moved to Los Angeles, where he has been working on TV for 25 years. He used to work as a field producer for the company “Inside Edition, American Journal”. Later he was a part of the Emmy-winning team Jeopardy! Later he became a producer of short films. He created the company White Ideas, supported by his famous sister Vanna. He stands behind award-winning short films, like “A Chess Player”, “Crab Trap” etc.

He is married to Eve White and has a son Crawford with her.

Ingrid Rosich (half-sister)

Vanna has a half-sister from the paternal side, Ingrid Rosich. She isn’t close to her.

Vanna also has stepsiblings: Chris, Joe, Dawn, PK, and Hope

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Pansy Blackwell says:

June 11, 2019 at 6:16 pm

Vanna White has a half-sister, Ingrid Rosich. She was born to Vanna’s birth father, right after he later remarried, and divorced her mother Joan.