Simona Ventura (born 1 April 1965) is an Italian

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

Television career

Ventura was born in Bentivoglio. She started in TV on "Domani Sposi" with Giancarlo Magalli on

Rai Uno Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and general ...

. Her love for sport took her into sports reporting: for the Italian

Telemontecarlo La7 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned by Cairo Communication. Until 2013 it was a pay-per-view channel owned by Telecom Italia Media and operated by Telecom Italia. Signal overspill means that parts of Albania, Croatia, Swit ...

she was the correspondent during the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...

UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...

and the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. At

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

, Ventura appeared with

Pippo Baudo Giuseppe Vittorio Raimondo Baudo (born 7 June 1936), known as Pippo Baudo, is one of the most famous Italian television presenters, with a career spanning six decades. He is often nicknamed "Superpippo" (referencing the Italian name of Super Go ...

on the Sunday afternoon programme "Domenica In" (1991) and then, in 1992, the sports programme "Domenica Sportiva". She has also been on "Pavarotti International". Ventura's career continued on

Mediaset Mediaset Italia S.p.A., also known as Mediaset, is an Italian-based mass media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The company is controlled by the holding company MFE - MediaForEurope. Founded in 1987 by former ...

channels hosting variety shows like "Mai dire gol", "Cuori e Denari, "Boom", "Scherzi a parte" (a programme very similar to

Punk'd ''Punk'd'' is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both the ...

), "

Festivalbar The Festivalbar was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by RAI. ...

", "

Le Iene ''Le Iene'' (; , but referencing the Italian name of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 movie ''Reservoir Dogs'') is an Italian television program. The program ''Le Iene'' is a television program broadcast on the Italian channel Italia 1. Beginning in 1997, ...

", "Matricole", Gli indelebili '99, "Cari amici miei", "Zelig - Noi facciamo cabaret", and "Piccole Canaglie". In all, she spent eight years at

. In 1996 Simona hosted the newcomers' section of the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

for

In 2001 Simona went back to

Rai Due Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, talk ...

to host the seventh edition of the Sunday afternoon show "Quelli che il calcio" and a

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

show called "Quelli che lo smoking". In 2002

chose her for the "Dopofestival" (a variety show about the

) and she then presented a

late night television Late night television is one of the dayparts in television broadcast programming. It follows prime time and precedes the overnight television show graveyard slot. The slot generally runs from about 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET, with variation ...

show with

Gene Gnocchi Eugenio Ghiozzi (born 1 March 1955), best known by his stage name Gene Gnocchi, is an Italian television presenter, comedian and former footballer. Gnocchi was born in Fidenza into a working-class family. He was an aspiring vocalist in a roc ...

called "La grande notte del lunedì sera". She has been presenting the Italian version of Celebrity Survivor, ''L'Isola Dei Famosi'' since 2003. In 2004 she was host presenter of San Remo Music Festival. In 2005 and 2006 she presented ''Music farm'', a show similar to the '' Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'' format, on

. She also had the

Prime Time Access Rule The Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR) was a broadcasting regulation that was instituted in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1970 to restrict the amount of network programming that a local television station either ...

with "Le Tre Scimmiette" and in 2007 appeared in

with "Colpo di Genio". She presented "Quelli che il Calcio" until 2011. Simona Ventura led the popular reality show L'isola dei famosi for 8 editions. In the fall of 2009, she abandoned her role as a judge on X-Factor. Working on his two most important programmes, Simona Ventura in May 2011 had some problems with the company. The director of RAI 2 Massimo Liofredi tried not to renew the contract of Simona Ventura for this reason after she signed a contract with

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

. Simona was a judge in seasons 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the Italian

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

, winning the fifth one with her act

Francesca Michielin Francesca Michielin (, ; born 25 February 1995) is an Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the fifth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor''. Her first single, " Distratto", debuted atop the Italian FIMI Top Digi ...

. Simona Ventura signed a contract for two years with satellite platform

after almost 10 years spent working at RAI bringing good advertising revenue, becoming the queen of

RAI 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, tal ...

, leaving the company to move to the satellite network. In early 2016 Simona Ventura returned to

as a contestant of the XI season of the popular reality show L'isola dei famosi now hosted by

Alessia Marcuzzi Alessia Marcuzzi (born 11 November 1972) is an Italian television host and actress. Career Born in Rome, to father Eugenio, from Trieste, and mother Antonietta from Roseto Valfortore, in the province of Foggia, she has debuted in Telemontecarlo ...

with

Alvin Alvin may refer to: Places Canada *Alvin, British Columbia United States *Alvin, Colorado *Alvin, Georgia *Alvin, Illinois * Alvin, Michigan *Alvin, Texas * Alvin, Wisconsin, a town *Alvin (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Other ...

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a s ...

and won by Giacobbe Fragomeni. In the autumn of 2016 Mariano Di Vaio (in couple with the dancer Stefano De Martino) is one of the tutors/mentors of the first season of ''

Selfie – Le cose cambiano A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as ...

'', the new

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

produced by Fascino PGT of

Maria De Filippi Maria De Filippi (born 5 December 1961) is an Italian television host and the owner of the television production company ''Fascino PGT''. She is one of the most popular presenters. Biography De Filippi was born in Milan, Lombardy, but grew up in ...

and aired by

with Simona Ventura as presenter.

Bernardo Corradi Bernardo Corradi (; born 30 March 1976) is an Italian former footballer who played as a forward, and current coach. He played top-division football for several teams in Italy, Spain, and England, and last played for Canadian side Montreal Imp ...

(in couple with the dancer Stefano De Martino) in May-June 2017 is one of the tutors/mentors in the second season of ''

'', a

produced by Fascino PGT of

and aired by

with Simona Ventura as presenter.

Other appearances

In 1996 Ventura was the Italian voice of

Lola Bunny Lola Bunny is a ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon character portrayed as an anthropomorphic female rabbit created by Warner Bros. Pictures. She is generally depicted as Bugs Bunny's girlfriend. She first appeared in the 1996 film ''Space Jam''. Develop ...

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel We ...

. She acted in the film ''Fratelli Coltelli'' in 1997. In 2008 Ventura starred in ''

La fidanzata di papà ''La fidanzata di papà'' () is a 2008 Italian comedy film directed by Enrico Oldoini Enrico Oldoini (born 4 May 1946) is an Italian director and screenwriter. Born in La Spezia, in 1966 Enrico Oldoini started attending the Silvio D'Amico Natio ...

'' with

Massimo Boldi Massimo Antonio Boldi (born 23 July 1945) is an Italian stand-up comedian and actor. Biography Boldi was born in Luino on 23 July 1945. In 1955 his family moved to Milan, where he joined evening classes and began working as a window-dresser an ...

and

Elisabetta Canalis Elisabetta Canalis (; born 12 September 1978) is an Italian actress and showgirl. Early life Canalis was born in Sassari, Sardinia in Italy. Her father, Cesare, is a radiologist in University of Sassari's clinic, and her mother, Bruna, was a te ...

. In 2009 Ventura was trolled by English rock band

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

in her show "Quelli che.. il Calcio". In 2010 she had a cameo in

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

's Somewhere. In 2012, Ventura provided the voice of the pre-match presenter in the

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...

video game FIFA 13.

Awards

Ventura has won 4 ''

Telegatti Telegatto (a composition of ''television'' and ''gatto'', meaning "cat", after the trophy, which is a little statue representing a cat), was an Italian television award first conceived in 1971 following the contest Gran Premio internazionale dell ...

'' as Best Female Figure of the Year.

Programs

* '' Domani sposi'' (

Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and general ...

, 1988) * ''

Domenica In ''Domenica in'' is an Italian Sunday long-running television show broadcast by Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the com ...

'' (Rai 1, 1991–1992) * '' Pavarotti International'' (Rai 1, 1991) * '' Domenica Sportiva'' (

, 1992) * ''

Mai dire gol ''Mai dire Gol'' was an Italian football television program of featuring Gialappa's Band, which was broadcast on Italia 1 from 18 November 1990 to 25 February 2001. The program was, at the beginning, the footballing version of Gialappa's Band's ...

'' (

Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...

, 1994–1997) * '' Cuori e denari'' (

, 1995) * ''

Scherzi a parte ''Scherzi a parte'' is a hidden camera-practical joke television series aired in prime time from 9 February 1992, first on Italia 1 and then on Canale 5.Aldo Grasso – Massimo Scaglioni, ''Enciclopedia della Televisione'', Garzanti, Milano, 1 ...

'' (Italia 1,1995; Canale 5,1999) * ''

Boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

'' (Canale 5, 1998) * '' Festivalbar 1997'' (Italia 1, 1997) * '' Gli indelebili '99'' (Italia 1, 1999) * '' Matricole'' (Italia 1, 1997–2000) * ''

'' (Italia 1, 1997–2001) * '' Comici'' (Italia 1, 2000) * '' Cari amici miei'' (Italia 1, 2000) * '' Zelig - Facciamo cabaret'' (Italia 1, 2000–2001) * '' Piccole Canaglie'' (Italia 1, 2001) * '' Quelli che... il calcio'' (Rai 2, 2001–2011) * ''Dopofestival'' (Rai 1, 2002) * '' La grande notte del lunedì sera'' (Rai 2, 2002) * '' L'isola dei famosi'' (Rai 2, 2003–2011) * ''

Festival di Sanremo The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

'' (Rai 1, 2004) * ''

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

'' (

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, 2004) * '' Le tre scimmiette'' (Rai 1, 2005) * '' Music Farm'' (Rai 2, 2005–2006) * ''

Children's Party at the Palace The Children's Party at the Palace was an event organised by Peter Orton of Hit Entertainment and David Johnstone of DJI consult, held in the Garden at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The ...

'' (

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

, 2006) * '' Colpo di genio'' (Rai 1, 2007) * ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' (

Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, tal ...

, 2008–2009;

Sky Uno Sky Uno ( en, Sky One) is an Italian entertainment television channel, based on the defunct reality television channel ''SKY Vivo'', both owned and broadcast by Sky Italia. It broadcasts the Italian version of the shows ''The X Factor'', ''Got T ...

, 2011–2013) * '' Simona Goes to Hollywood'' (Sky Uno, 2012) * '' Oscar Fashion Night'' (Sky Uno, 2012) * '' Simona goes to Hollywood – The day after'' (Sky Uno, 2012) * ''

'' (

, 2015)

Personal life

Ventura was married to Italian footballer and television personality Stefano Bettarini between 1998 and 2004; they have two children together.

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ventura, Simona 1965 births Italian television presenters Italian women television presenters Living people Miss Universe 1988 contestants People from the Province of Bologna