Elisabetta Gregoraci
Elisabetta Gregoraci (born February 8, 1980) is an Italian TV soubrette. She was born in Soverato, province of Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy. As a child, she had various career aspirations, including being a police woman and a detective. This was based on her mom's tough stance on good and evil, which rubbed off on Elisabetta and her sister. Justice and crime-fighting didn't prove to be in the cards for Elisabetta, but another one of her early wishes most certainly was. Using her mom's brush, she would speak into a "microphone," look in the mirror and imagine herself on television.
Biography
Before she took her first steps in show business, Elisabetta focused her efforts on education. A diploma in accounting in 1998 came first, and she followed it up with a move to Rome and a degree in modern dance. Rome and dance proved to be a winning combination for Elisabetta, since it inspired her to compete for the title of Miss Italy in 1997. She didn't win, but it gave her new ideas about working in the entertainment field and using her beauty as a way in.
Elisabetta used her pageantry exposure to join the world of cinema in 1999. She made three films in a row: Il cielo in una stanza, C'era un cinese in coma and Si sente che sono calabrese.
Elisabetta Gregoraci "surfing"
Elisabetta Gregoraci on Euro 2000
As a result of her film experiences, Elisabetta was offered a spot on the Italian TV series Euro 2000. Her success on the show made her a TV staple, and Euro was her first of nine television series. Elisabetta's most popular television endeavor, however, was as a dancer on Libero, but she also found success off-camera as a model. In 2004, she replaced Eva Herzigova as the face and body of Wonderbra, and she also took on additional modeling chores for Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.
Elisabetta Gregoraci showing her bra
In 2006, Elisabetta was caught in a scandal involving Salvatore Sottile, a high-ranking spokesperson for Italy's foreign ministry. Allegedly, they engaged in a sexual relationship to secure her a television spot, but neither was charged with any wrongdoing. Though Elisabetta denied that anything sexual took place, she had previously stated in ample detail that there had indeed been a relationship. In any case, it did little to harm her career, and the tabloid exposure landed her a commercial gig as the face of a mobile phone company.
Since the scandal in 2006, Elisabetta remained strong in her career and personal life. She found love with Flavio Briatore, the Team Principal of the Renault team on the Formula 1 circuit. The doubters balked at their 31-year age difference, but all bets were off when the couple became engaged and announced a 2008 wedding.
Yup, she is surfing again here =)
Enjoy the photos
