- 2006
Maxim's Girl
Minnillo makes her second appearance on the cover of lad magazine Maxim. In the issue, she talks about growing up different in the "good-ol'-boy town" of Charleston, S.C. "My whole life I've been scrutinized because I'm ethnic," she tells the magazine. "So I've had to prove myself from the inside out...all my friends had blonde hair and blue eyes, and there I was, looking like I look." But Maxim likes her looks, placing her at No. 15 on their annual Hot 100 list.
- 2007
Breathing Life into Bongo
Following the likes of Nicole Richie and Rachel Bilson, Minnillo becomes the face of Bongo. "I got the call and it was a no brainer," Minnillo says in a statement. "I have always loved Bongo." In March, Minnillo also inks a deal to design a makeup line for Flirt! Cosmetics, which debuts in August.
Moving On & In
Minnillo tells PEOPLE that she's leaving MTV's Total Request Live, but it's not the only change in her life. She and Lachey take their one-year relationship to the next level, moving into a two-bedroom condo in Manhattan together. A month earlier Minnillo said she couldn't wait to be a mom.
Minnillo Poses with Lohan & Knife
Days after actress Lindsay Lohan, 20, enters rehab, risqué photos of Minnillo, 26, and the troubled starlet surface on the Internet. The photos show Lohan and Minnillo posing provocatively with knives and were apparently taken in June 2006.
More Racy Photos
When tabloid magazines get a hold of nude paparazzi photographs of Minnillo and Lachey while on vacation in Mexico, the pair speaks to OK! magazine, where Minnillo says, "As a woman, my body is a temple, it's mine. So it was embarrassing. But we did nothing wrong." Lachey adds, "This is the girl that I love...It's hard for me as a man to see my girl go through that. Everybody said it was a scandal. Where's the scandal? I was in Mexico with my girlfriend of a year, celebrating our anniversary on a private vacation. It's not like I was caught with a Mexican hooker."
- 2009
Judging True Beauty
Minnillo returns to TV as host of the ABC reality show, True Beauty. Executive-produced by Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher, the show pits gorgeous contenders against one another–under the assumption that they're being judged on their looks alone. Minnillo serves as host and judge with former model Cheryl Tiegs and stylist Nole Marin.
A Summer Break
After more than three years together, Minnillo, 28, and Lachey, 35, call it quits. Though a source says the split "was the right thing for both of them to do," they're spotted getting cozy together in September.
Photo Credits
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Courtesy of Bongo; Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic; Marion Curtis/Startraks; ABC; Jackson Lee - Ahmad Elatab/Splash News Online
- Name
- Vanessa Minnillo
- Date of Birth
- November 09, 1980
- Birth Place
- Pampanga, Philippines
- Relationships
-
Nick Lachey, boyfriend (2006 to present; on & off)
Derek Jeter, ex-boyfriend (Nov. 2003 to 2006; on & off)
