Laurita Valenzuela | |
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Laura Valenzuela in 2012.
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Born |
Rocío Espinosa López-Cepero 18 February 1931 Seville, Spain |
Other names | Laura Valenzuela |
Occupation | Presenter, actress, model |
Years active | 1954–2000s (retired) |
Spouse(s) | José Luis Dibildos (m. 1971; d. 2002) |
Children | Lara Dibildos |
Rocío Espinosa López-Cepero (born 18 February 1931, Seville), known professionally as Laurita Valenzuela or Laura Valenzuela, is a Spanish television presenter and actress of the 1950s and 1960s. Before becoming known in Europe for hosting 1969 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, she was a model and appeared in many publications around the world. She was one of the first faces that Spain saw on television when Televisión Española (TVE) was launched in 1956.
She acted in many films since the early 1950s up through the late 1960s. In 1971, when she married film director José Luis Dibildos and had her daughter, presenter Lara Dibildos, she retired from public life, until she returned to television in 1990 on private channel Telecinco. Later on, she returned to TVE in 1996.
She retired again in the 2000s when she was treated for breast cancer. She recovered but remains retired, apart from occasional collaborations and appearances, such as on 7 December 2006, when she hosted the special show Gala 50 años de TVE, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of TVE, alongside Anne Igartiburu and Paula Vázquez.