Belén Rodrguez is a model, fashion designer, host, television presenter, actor, singer, and businesswoman of Argentine-Italian descent. She rose to prominence after posing for a number of multinational companies and appearing on the covers of high-profile publications. She went on to model for provocative calendars and the adult magazine ‘Playboy Italia,’ gaining fame and establishing herself as a sex symbol. She eventually became a television host and began anchoring numerous events, including the Sanremo Music Festival twice. She’s also made a name for herself as a singer and actress, with three singles and a slew of films to her credit. She co-founded The Family Factor with her younger sister Cecilia and designed and produced the ‘Me Fui’ beachwear range. She owns the ‘Ricci’ restaurant in Milan, which has been featured in The New York Times’ Food section. She and her husband had founded the 4store clothes store chain, but it flopped after a brief period of popularity. International media have dubbed her “the Rioplatense Sophia Loren” and “the Italian Sara Carbonero.”
Childhood and Adolescence
Gustavo Rodrguez and Veronica Cozzani de Rodrguez had Belén Rodrguez on September 20, 1984 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jeremas, her younger brother, and Cecilia, her younger sister, are her siblings.
In 2001, she received her high school diploma. She eventually enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires’ Faculty of Communication Sciences, but dropped out to focus on her modeling career.
Modeling Career&Beln Rodrguez began her modeling career while still in high school, at the age of 17. Before going to Milan, Italy, in 2004, she worked as a model in Argentina, Miami, and Mexico.
From 2004 through 2008, she appeared in a series of fashion ads for ‘Miss Sixty,’ ‘Taglia 42,’ ‘Cotonello,’ ‘Pin Up,’ and ‘Yamamayo.’
She began her four-year partnership with TIM in 2007 as Donna dei Sogni (Dream Woman), alongside Elisabetta Canalis and Christian De Sica, in TIM television ads.
She made news in 2005 when she revealed all for the ‘Vuemme Calendar 2006’. She conducted provocative photoshoots for numerous calendars in the following years, including ‘De Nardi Calendar,’ ‘Fer Calendar,’ ‘Maxim Calendar,’ and ‘TIM glamour calendar.’ Belén, who had earlier refused to pose for the cover of ‘Playboy Miami,’ went on to star in the summer 2009 issue of ‘Playboy Italia.’
She traveled to Florence, Rome, and Naples in early 2008 to take part in fashion shows for brands such as ‘John Richmond,’ ‘Pitti,’ ‘Vanitas,’ ‘Jadea,’ and ‘Trendy Too.’ She worked with the hair and beauty salon chain ‘Cotril,’ the intimate wear brand ‘Jadea,’ and the clothing brand ‘Imperfect’ in the years after that.
In January 2012, she was named the face of the jewelry company 2Jewels and the technology company Linkdem. She and Gerry Scotti pushed the connection between Barilla pasta and the McDonald’s restaurant chain in Italy in May of next year.
She debuted as a fashion designer in 2013, teaming with stylist Fabio Castelli on the ‘Imperfect’ apparel collection. Later that year, she collaborated with her sister Cecilia to exhibit the apparel brand’s 2013–2014 fashion line as models and designers. They also worked on a new beachwear collection for summer 2014 called ‘Me Fui.’
She and her then-husband, Stefano De Martino, became the face of ‘Richmond Perfumes’ in 2014. After her 10-year professional engagement with John Richmond ended in January 2015, it became a news sensation.
Getting a Job as a TV Host
In November 2006, Belén Rodrguez made his broadcast debut as a guest on TeleBoari, Val Camonica’s local television network. She began her career as a television host the following year, co-hosting the late-night comedy show ‘La tintoria’ with singer Taiyo Yamanouchi.
She went on to co-host two additional TV series in 2007, the “Circo Massimo Show” and “Stile libero Max.” Later that year, she was a guest on Silvia Toffanin’s entertainment news program Verissimo.
She appeared as a guest musician at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival in Italy in 2010. In 2011, she co-hosted the show, and in 2012, she filled in as a substitute host.
In 2011, she got an exclusive deal with Mediaset and began hosting the television series “Colorado.” She also co-hosted the TV talent show ‘Italia’s Got Talent’ with Simone Annicchiarico the next year as part of the contract.
She has been a co-host on the talent show ‘T s que vales’ since 2014. In 2015, she became a host on the show ‘Striscia la notizia,’ and she reprised her role in the next episode.
Career as a singer
Taiyo Yamanouchi, her co-host and musician, offered her an exclusive contract to establish her music career while she was hosting ‘La tintoria’ in 2007. She declined. She made her singing debut two years later with the song “Dai muovi muovi.”
During the third night of the 2010 Sanremo Festival, she performed a duet version of Toto Cutugno’s track “Aeroplani” with the singer. Under the stage name ‘Maria Belén,’ she released the single ‘Amarti è folle’ for the soundtrack of the film ‘Non c’è due senza you’ at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2015.
Career as an actor
Belén Rodrguez made her acting debut in the 2010 film “Natale in Sudafrica,” in which she played the female protagonist. She then went on to star in the feature film ‘Se sei cos, ti dico s’ and in an episode of the television show ‘Il commissario Montalbano.’
She was a regular visitor in the sitcom ‘Cos fan tutte’ from 2011 to 2012. In 2012, she voiced a character in the animated film ‘Gladiatori di Roma.’
In 2015, she starred in the feature film ‘Non c’è 2 senza you,’ and in 2016, she made a cameo appearance on the television series ‘Don Matteo.’
Major Projects of Belén Rodríguez
Belén Rodrguez is best known for her work as a host, while having a diversified career as a model, TV presenter, actor, singer, and businesswoman. In 2011, she took over as presenter of the Sanremo Music Festival, one of Europe’s most major events.
Achievements & Awards
In 2011, Belén Rodrguez was awarded the Premio Regia Televisiva for her efforts as a television personality. In 2014, she received the Galà della Pubblicità award for her advertising work.
Personal History and Legacy
From 2004 through 2008, Belén Rodrguez was in a relationship with player Marco Borriello. She began connected with Italian photographer Fabrizio Corona in early 2009, which caused a stir in Italian media.
In 2012, she met dancer Stefano De Martino and began dating him soon after. In September 2013, five months after she gave birth to their son Santiago, the two married. They divorced in January 2017 after separating in December 2015.
She is currently residing in Milan with her parents, brother, and kid. Andrea Iannone, an Italian professional MotoGP racer, began dating her in 2017.
Trivia
In 2006, she sued Google for indexing pornography websites that had used her photograph without her permission. She stirred outrage in 2013 when she posted a video on Instagram showing her placing her tongue in her son’s mouth.