Vanessa Minnillo

Vanessa Lachey

Beauty pageant titleholder
Lachey at the Maxim Magazine's 10th Annual Hot 100 Celebration, Santa Monica, California on May 13, 2009
Born	Vanessa Joy Minnillo (1980-11-09) November 9, 1980 (age 36) Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Hometown	Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, beauty queen, model, television host
Years active	1998–present
Title(s)	Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998 Miss Teen USA 1998
Major competition(s)	Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998 (Winner) Miss Teen USA 1998 (Winner)
Spouse	Nick Lachey (m. 2011)
Children	3

Vanessa Joy Lachey (née Minnillo; born November 9, 1980) is an American television personality, television host, fashion model, and actress. She was also named Miss Teen USA in 1998. She has been a New York-based correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and hosted Total Request Live on MTV.

Vanessa Joy Minnillo was born at USAF Clark Regional Medical Center in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. Her father, Vincent Charles Minnillo, is an American citizen from Cleveland, Ohio of Italian and Irish descent, while her mother, Helen Ramos Bercero, is from Manila, Philippines. Minnillo has an adopted brother who is two years older. Her father moved the family frequently because of his service in the Air Force. She lived in Washington, California, Nevada, Florida, Germany and Japan and attended eight different schools in nine years. Minnillo's parents separated in 1983 and were divorced in 1986.

Minnillo's parents both remarried. She and her brother Vincent Jr. relocated to Turkey with their mother and new stepfather. By 1991, in the wake of Operation Desert Shield, they returned to their father's home, eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where Minnillo attended the Roman Catholic Bishop England High School and was a cheerleader. From then on, she lived with her father and stepmother, Donna. She also attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School, in San Bernardino, California, for one year.