Isabel Preysler | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Preysler at the 13th Prix Diálogo in 2016 | |
| Born | María Isabel Preysler Arrastía (1951-02-18)February 18, 1951 (age 74) Manila, Philippines |
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| Title | Marchioness of Griñón (1980–1987) |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Mario Vargas Llosa (2015–2022) |
| Children | 5, includingChabeli,Julio Jr.,Enrique andTamara |
| Relatives | Neile Adams (maternal aunt) |
María Isabel Preysler Arrastía (born February 18, 1951) is a Spanish and Filipino[1][2][3][4]socialite andtelevision host. She is the mother of singersEnrique Iglesias andJulio Iglesias Jr., journalistChábeli Iglesias,Tamara Falcó, 6th Marchioness of Griñón, and Ana Boyer Preysler.
Preysler was born inManila, Philippines, the third of six children to a wealthy family. Both of her parents wereSpaniards.[5] She attended Assumption Convent (nowAssumption College San Lorenzo), a privateRoman Catholic school. Her father, Carlos Preysler y Pérez de Tagle, was the executive director of Philippine Air Lines (nowPhilippine Airlines) and one of the board of directors of the Banco Español de Manila (nowBank of the Philippine Islands),[6] while her mother, María Beatriz Arrastía y Reinares, was the owner of a real estate company in Manila.[6][7] She is the niece of actressNeile Adams, who is her mother's half-sister. She is also the first cousin once removed of American actorSteven R. McQueen, who is Neile's grandson.[8]
During her youth, Preysler was amodel who participated in beauty pageants and charity events for theSheraton Hotels and Resorts in Manila and went on to win titles in several events. At the age of 16, she immigrated toMadrid, Spain to live with her uncle and aunt and to study at Mary Ward College, an Irish Catholic university in Spain, where she studied accounting.
Preysler began working as a journalist for Spanish celebrity-news magazine¡Hola! in 1970, and her first interviewee was her future husband Julio Iglesias. In 1984, she hosted a Spanish lifestyle television programme,Hoy en Casa, and has hosted and appeared in various programs since. In May 2001, she was PrinceCharles' guest of honour for the opening of his Spanish Garden at theChelsea Flower Show in England. She was his guest of honor again in 2005 at a garden party during a holiday to Spain by the Royal Crown. In 2004, Preysler became Spain's welcoming host forDavid andVictoria Beckham when she hosted a welcoming party at her house for the celebrity couple. She became close friends with Victoria and was often photographed shopping with her during their stay in Madrid.
Preysler continues to be the national spokesmodel forFerrero Rocher,Suárez jewelry,Manolo Blahnik shoes,Chrysler cars andPorcelanosa tiles, for whichAmerican Hollywood actorGeorge Clooney worked with her in 2006 to represent the brand in an advertising campaign.
Readers at¡Hola! magazine voted Preysler as the most elegant and best-dressed woman in Spain for 1991, 2002, 2006 and 2007.[9]
In 2006, Preysler was honored (along withHillary Clinton,Shakira andYoko Ono, among others) with the Women Together Award, which honors women for their philanthropic contributions to theUnited Nations in New York, making her the first woman of Filipino descent in history to win the award.[10]
In 2007, she and her daughters were invited byPrince Charles to be guests of honour at his London home,Clarence House.[11]
In 1970, Preysler was introduced to a retired footballer namedJulio Iglesias, who had just signed a recording contract to become a singer. Iglesias invited her to watch aJuan Pardo [es] concert.[12] They married seven months later on January 29, 1971, inIllescas, in a religious ceremony. They were married for seven years until their divorce, and the couple had three children –María Isabel (born 1971),Julio José (born 1973) andEnrique Miguel (born 1975).[citation needed]
On March 23, 1980, Preysler marriedCarlos Falcó, 5th Marquess of Griñón.[13] The couple had one daughter,Tamara Isabel Falcó (born 1981). They divorced in 1985.
Her third marriage, in 1987, was to the former Spanish finance ministerMiguel Boyer, who died on September 29, 2014. The couple had one daughter, Ana Boyer Preysler (born 1989).[13]
From 2015 to 2022, she was in a relationship with PeruvianNobel laureate writer, journalist and politicianMario Vargas Llosa.[14][15]
Her father, Carlos Preysler, died in 1994. After his death, her mother, Beatriz Arrastia, lived with her in Madrid until her own death in 2021 at age 98.[16] Her daughter Tamara has been the 6thMarchioness of Griñón since her father's death in 2020.[17]
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