Vanna White fights disease
PUSSSYKATT
BRAVE Vanna White is facing a double tragedy: She's terrified she has
contracted a potentially fatal disease, and her nine-year marriage hit the
rocks just when she needs her husband's support the most.
Friends reveal the popular Wheel of Fortune letter-turner has been tortured by
sometimes unbearable pain for several years and originally thought she had
arthritis. But sources say it's much worse.
"I was told six months ago that Vanna is being treated for lupus-like
symptoms," says a source close to both Vanna hand her husband, George Santo
Pietro, 53.
ROVING EYE: As Vanna courageously battles almost constant pain, her selfish
husband, restaurateur George Santo Pietro, can't control his roving eye,
sources say.
"She has been in considerable pain for some time."
Pals say Vanna's deteriorating health became one of the major problems in the
43-year-old blonde's shaky marriage.
"The constant pain Vanna endures affected their relationship," says another
friend, "but almost worse than that was the mental pain of realizing George
wasn't there for her when she needed him."
But the other factor was her husband's flirtations with other women, say pals.
"The last straw in the marriage was when she found him cheating with a young
Asian model in October," reveals a friend.
"Vanna has tried for years to ignore stories about George's philandering, but
this was just too much."
Another source close to the couple told Star: "Sadly, the marriage is over.
George has moved out. He loves the kids and Vanna but sometimes that's not
enough. There's a selfish side to George -- frankly, he hasn't controlled his
roving eye."
Star has learned that Vanna sought help for her pain and symptoms as far back
as 1995 when she consulted top rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Wallace, considered
one of California's best experts on the disease by the Lupus Foundation.
Lupus is a chronic, incurable disorder that can attack virtually any organ in
the body and, if left untreated, can kill. It attacks eight times as many women
as it does men.
The first signs are pain in the joints -- especially the fingers, hands, wrists
and knees -- which become arthritic. Other symptoms include weight loss and
fatigue.
Initially, mother-of-two Vanna blamed her pain on the hours she has to stand
around wearing high heels and the amount of clapping she has to do on the game
show, which she joined in 1982.
She suspected carpal-tunnel syndrome in her wrists, but as the pain in her body
worsened, Vanna realized there had to be a more serious cause.
She started to see specialists who warned her that her condition was so severe
she could end up in a wheelchair.
"Everybody thinks she is always all smiles, like she is on the show, but she's
often in agony backstage," says a show insider.
"Sometimes it's torture for her at the end of the day. She rubs her feet as
soon as the heels come off and when she's not working, she always wears
sneakers or flat shoes."
Set insiders say the moment the camera goes off, Vanna's smile disappears and
you can see the agony of the time clenching her hand," says a recent audience
member.
"And," adds the insider, "she's always flexing her wrists and rotating her
hands in circles to try to relieve some of the pain.
"It's taken a terrible toll on her body."
Vanna's been staying in her Beverly Hills mansion, trying to get as much rest
as she can between shooting the long-running syndicated series with Pat Sajak,
while George is living the life of a bachelor in New York City.
Santo Pietro moved into a $590-a-night 17th floor suite in the Hotel Plaza
Athene in New York on April 5.
"He told me he is living 'semi-permanently' at the Plaza Athene," says one
acquaintance.
"There is no checkout date for Mr. Santo Pietro," Star was told.
Another friend of Santo Pietro says: "George is looking for a new life -- and
he plans to make that life in New York, well away from Vanna, at least for the
time being.
"There is nothing keeping them together any longer. It's very sad, especially
for their kids."
Vanna tried all she could to save the marriage for the sake of the children --
Nicholas, almost 6, and Giovanna, 2 1/2, says a friend.
"But right now even she has decided they're all better off without him," a
source confides.
Vanna has been a star since she started on Wheel 18 years ago. She married
10-years-older George on New Year's Eve 1990 in the millionaires' winter
playground of Aspen, Colo. They had been dating for four years, but he had
proposed just one week earlier.
Her family warned her against the marriage, but Vanna was blinded by her love,
say sources.
Within two months, the marriage was in trouble and rumors of George returning
to his cheating ways were the talk of Hollywood.
In 1992, Santo Pietro's string of restaurants hit serious financial problems.
Months later he ended up in the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
in Los Angeles after mysteriously being shot in the head.
More heartbreak was to follow when Vanna suffered three miscarriages as she
tried to cement her marriage with children. The first time she doubled up in
pain in front of a live TV audience as she lost the baby on stage while taping
an episode of Wheel.
Eventually the couple did have two beautiful kids. But friends say fatherhood
failed to contain Santo Pietro and he continued to be unfaithful.
The fatal blow to their marriage came late last year when Santo Pietro was
caught cheating with stunning model Tanya Abayan. He denied it, but sources say
he put Tanya up in the ultra- posh Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles.
And he has been spotted wining and dining the Asian beauty at Nello restaurant
in Manhattan several times in the past year.
"The fling with Tanya broke Vanna's heart," says a close pal. "She put
everything she had into this marriage, but George gave back nothing. All he did
was take."
Some friends even think that the stress over her marriage may have contributed
to her illness.
"She's been under so much stress, she hasn't been able to eat and has been
losing weight. All of this unhappiness about her marriage -- which never was
all that solid -- has turned her body inside out.
"She's always saying how lucky she is that she only has to work a few days a
month on Wheel. She's not sure she could take any more stress and pressure."
Adds the friend: "She looks absolutely awful and she's in so much pain."
Vanna's friends worry that her health will only worsen if she has to endure a
nasty divorce, insiders confide.
"The problem is money," says one. "George doesn't have any and Vanna is
terrified he'll try to get his hands on as much of hers as he can."
Adds another pal: "Vanna worked hard for her success. She owes none of it to
George."
Still, those close to Vanna hope that she doesn't have second thoughts and take
him back.
"Vanna may know how to turn letters but she sure doesn't know how to pick men,"
says another insider. "She fell in love with a guy with a roving eye, thinking
that she could change him. She thought that having children would create a
perfect marriage. Well, now she's learned you don't change people.
"She's been in denial for years, always hoping for some miracle. She's begged
George to change. She's threatened him that she'd leave and take the kids, and
each time he'd promise to shape up. But that lasts only for a minute or two.
"Publicly her friends are telling her how devastated they are," another friend
confides, "but in reality they all agree that the split is the best thing.
"She is far better off without him."
Friends say they are convinced Vanna can get over her double heartbreak. "She
didn't get where she is without being a strong woman," says one.
"She knows she has to go on, as much for her children as herself. No matter
what fate may throw at her, I am sure Vanna will triumph."
SEND EMAIL TO PUSSS...@aol.com
AGC FAQ and FUN STUFF
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Ilena Rose
Does anyone know for sure if she ever got breast implants?
We've heard varying responses. "Lupus-like" illnesses are often linked.
Thanks. and all the best to Vanna.
In article <20000429095239...@ng-cp1.aol.com>,
agcgoss...@aol.com (PUSSSYKATT) wrote:
**STAR MAGAZINE...
**
**BRAVE Vanna White is facing a double tragedy: She's terrified she has
**contracted a potentially fatal disease, and her nine-year marriage hit the
**rocks just when she needs her husband's support the most.
**
**Friends reveal the popular Wheel of Fortune letter-turner has been tortured by
**sometimes unbearable pain for several years and originally thought she had
**arthritis. But sources say it's much worse.
**
**"I was told six months ago that Vanna is being treated for lupus-like
**symptoms," says a source close to both Vanna hand her husband, George Santo
**Pietro, 53.
**ROVING EYE: As Vanna courageously battles almost constant pain, her selfish
**husband, restaurateur George Santo Pietro, can't control his roving eye,
**sources say.
**
**"She has been in considerable pain for some time."
**
**Pals say Vanna's deteriorating health became one of the major problems in the
**43-year-old blonde's shaky marriage.
**
**"The constant pain Vanna endures affected their relationship," says another
**friend, "but almost worse than that was the mental pain of realizing George
**wasn't there for her when she needed him."
**
**But the other factor was her husband's flirtations with other women, say pals.
**"The last straw in the marriage was when she found him cheating with a young
**Asian model in October," reveals a friend.
**
**"Vanna has tried for years to ignore stories about George's philandering, but
**this was just too much."
**
**Another source close to the couple told Star: "Sadly, the marriage is over.
**George has moved out. He loves the kids and Vanna but sometimes that's not
**enough. There's a selfish side to George -- frankly, he hasn't controlled his
**roving eye."
**
**Star has learned that Vanna sought help for her pain and symptoms as far back
**as 1995 when she consulted top rheumatologist Dr. Daniel Wallace, considered
**one of California's best experts on the disease by the Lupus Foundation.
**
**Lupus is a chronic, incurable disorder that can attack virtually any organ in
**the body and, if left untreated, can kill. It attacks eight times as
many women
**as it does men.
**
**The first signs are pain in the joints -- especially the fingers, hands,
wrists
**and knees -- which become arthritic. Other symptoms include weight loss and
**fatigue.
**
**Initially, mother-of-two Vanna blamed her pain on the hours she has to stand
**around wearing high heels and the amount of clapping she has to do on the game
**show, which she joined in 1982.
**
**She suspected carpal-tunnel syndrome in her wrists, but as the pain in
her body
**worsened, Vanna realized there had to be a more serious cause.
**
**She started to see specialists who warned her that her condition was so severe
**she could end up in a wheelchair.
**
**"Everybody thinks she is always all smiles, like she is on the show, but she's
**often in agony backstage," says a show insider.
**
**"Sometimes it's torture for her at the end of the day. She rubs her feet as
**soon as the heels come off and when she's not working, she always wears
**sneakers or flat shoes."
**
**Set insiders say the moment the camera goes off, Vanna's smile disappears and
**you can see the agony of the time clenching her hand," says a recent audience
**member.
**
**"And," adds the insider, "she's always flexing her wrists and rotating her
**hands in circles to try to relieve some of the pain.
**
**"It's taken a terrible toll on her body."
**
**Vanna's been staying in her Beverly Hills mansion, trying to get as much rest
**as she can between shooting the long-running syndicated series with Pat Sajak,
**while George is living the life of a bachelor in New York City.
**
**Santo Pietro moved into a $590-a-night 17th floor suite in the Hotel Plaza
**Athene in New York on April 5.
**
**"He told me he is living 'semi-permanently' at the Plaza Athene," says one
**acquaintance.
**
**"There is no checkout date for Mr. Santo Pietro," Star was told.
**
**Another friend of Santo Pietro says: "George is looking for a new life -- and
**he plans to make that life in New York, well away from Vanna, at least for the
**time being.
**
**"There is nothing keeping them together any longer. It's very sad, especially
**for their kids."
**
**Vanna tried all she could to save the marriage for the sake of the children --
**Nicholas, almost 6, and Giovanna, 2 1/2, says a friend.
**
**"But right now even she has decided they're all better off without him," a
**source confides.
**
**Vanna has been a star since she started on Wheel 18 years ago. She married
**10-years-older George on New Year's Eve 1990 in the millionaires' winter
**playground of Aspen, Colo. They had been dating for four years, but he had
**proposed just one week earlier.
**
**Her family warned her against the marriage, but Vanna was blinded by her love,
**say sources.
**
**Within two months, the marriage was in trouble and rumors of George returning
**to his cheating ways were the talk of Hollywood.
**
**In 1992, Santo Pietro's string of restaurants hit serious financial problems.
**Months later he ended up in the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
**in Los Angeles after mysteriously being shot in the head.
**
**More heartbreak was to follow when Vanna suffered three miscarriages as she
**tried to cement her marriage with children. The first time she doubled up in
**pain in front of a live TV audience as she lost the baby on stage while taping
**an episode of Wheel.
**
**Eventually the couple did have two beautiful kids. But friends say fatherhood
**failed to contain Santo Pietro and he continued to be unfaithful.
**
**The fatal blow to their marriage came late last year when Santo Pietro was
**caught cheating with stunning model Tanya Abayan. He denied it, but
sources say
**he put Tanya up in the ultra- posh Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles.
**
**And he has been spotted wining and dining the Asian beauty at Nello restaurant
**in Manhattan several times in the past year.
**
**"The fling with Tanya broke Vanna's heart," says a close pal. "She put
**everything she had into this marriage, but George gave back nothing. All
he did
**was take."
**
**Some friends even think that the stress over her marriage may have contributed
**to her illness.
**
**"She's been under so much stress, she hasn't been able to eat and has been
**losing weight. All of this unhappiness about her marriage -- which never was
**all that solid -- has turned her body inside out.
**
**"She's always saying how lucky she is that she only has to work a few days a
**month on Wheel. She's not sure she could take any more stress and pressure."
**
**Adds the friend: "She looks absolutely awful and she's in so much pain."
**
**Vanna's friends worry that her health will only worsen if she has to endure a
**nasty divorce, insiders confide.
**
**"The problem is money," says one. "George doesn't have any and Vanna is
**terrified he'll try to get his hands on as much of hers as he can."
**
**Adds another pal: "Vanna worked hard for her success. She owes none of it to
**George."
**
**Still, those close to Vanna hope that she doesn't have second thoughts
and take
**him back.
**
**"Vanna may know how to turn letters but she sure doesn't know how to
pick men,"
**says another insider. "She fell in love with a guy with a roving eye, thinking
**that she could change him. She thought that having children would create a
**perfect marriage. Well, now she's learned you don't change people.
**
**"She's been in denial for years, always hoping for some miracle. She's begged
**George to change. She's threatened him that she'd leave and take the kids, and
**each time he'd promise to shape up. But that lasts only for a minute or two.
**
**"Publicly her friends are telling her how devastated they are," another friend
**confides, "but in reality they all agree that the split is the best thing.
**
**"She is far better off without him."
**
**Friends say they are convinced Vanna can get over her double heartbreak. "She
**didn't get where she is without being a strong woman," says one.
**
**"She knows she has to go on, as much for her children as herself. No matter
**what fate may throw at her, I am sure Vanna will triumph."
**
**
**
**SEND EMAIL TO PUSSS...@aol.com
**
**AGC FAQ and FUN STUFF
**http://members.aol.com/pusssykatt/agcfaq.html
