Paola Barale (born 28 April 1967 in

Fossano Fossano ( pms, Fossan) is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the fourth largest town of the Province of Cuneo, after Cuneo, Alba and Bra. It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch li ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

TV host A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

ess and actress. She was married to

Gianni Sperti Gianni is an Italian name (occasionally a surname), a short form of the Italian Giovanni and a cognate of John meaning God is gracious. Gianni is the most common diminutive of Giovanni in Italian. People with this given name * Gianni Agnelli (ind ...

. Her television career began by chance, in fact, she desired to become a gymnastics teacher and she had graduated from the former Higher Institute of Physical Education in Turin. Many, however, pointed out that she looked like a Madonna lookalike, referring to the look of the ''True Blue period,'' and began working on television. It is hosted for the first time ''Domenica in'' the 1986 edition conducted by

Mino Damato Mino may refer to: Places in Japan * Mino, Gifu, a city in Gifu Prefecture * Mino, Kagawa, a former town in Kagawa Prefecture * Mino, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Mino, an alternate spelling of Minoh, a city in Osaka Prefecture * Mi ...

, just as the lookalike of the American singer. She appeared in the final theme song of the variety show ''La TV delle ragazze,'' conducted by

Serena Dandini Serena Dandini is an Italian television host, writer and author. Life She was born in Rome. She studied at Giulio Cesare school and Sapienza University of Rome. From the early 1980s, she collaborated with RAI on television and radio program ...

. Her first official work is that of ''Littorina'' in Antonio Ricci's ''Odiens'' program. After an audition in the fall of 1989, she became

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Italy ...

's official valet in several of his broadcasts, such as ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (1989–1995), All x ''One'' (1992–1993), Italian ''Festival'' (1993) and the two spin-offs of ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (1994–1995) and The ''Mundial Wheel'' (summer 1994). In the 1994–1995 season, she led in the morning, with

Marco Predolin Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish ...

and

Natalia Estrada Natalia Estrada (born Gijón, Asturias, Spain, September 3, 1972) is an actress, model and television presenter on Spanish television. Biography When she was 15 she moved to Madrid where she did music and acting classes and became a flamenco an ...

, the first programme dedicated to telesales, entitled ''Department stores.'' In the spring of 1995, she co-hosted the Valentine's Day special ''One Evening We Met,'' the special dedicated to the hundred years of cinema The Magnificent ''Ten,'' and the evening ''Four-legged Stars.'' In the summer of 1995, she conducted with

Claudio Cecchetto Claudio Cecchetto (born 19 April 1952) is an Italian record producer and talent scout. Life and career Cecchetto was born in Ceggia, (metropolitan city of Venice). He has hosted several Italian music festivals, from Festival di Sanremo to ...

''A record for the summer,'' while in the autumn she presented an edition of the comic variety ''The Last?'' along with

Gerry Scotti Gerry Scotti (born Virginio Scotti on 7 August 1956) is an Italian television presenter, actor and former member of the Italian Parliament. Early years Scotti was born Virginio Scotti on 7 August 1956 in Miradolo Terme, Pavia. After giving ...

. In 1996 she brought back the evening ''Stars on all fours.'' She also joined Luca Barbareschi in ''The Great Bluff,'' and led with

Rosario Fiorello Rosario Tindaro Fiorello (born 16 May 1960), known just as Fiorello, is an Italian comedian, singer, radio, and television presenter. Career Fiorello was born in Catania, Sicily, and raised in Augusta, Sicily. He began his career working in tour ...

''A record for the summer.''

Selected filmography

*Cascina Vianello (TV-series, 1996) *Broadcast (TV-Film, 2005) *Vorrei vederti ballare (2012) *Virus: Extreme Contamination (2015)

External links

*
Official Website
1967 births Living people Italian television actresses {{italy-tv-actor-stub