Adriana Xenides (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Coutsaimanis; 9 January 1956 – 7 June 2010) was an Argentine-born Australian television presenter, former model, actress and children's author. Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, to a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

father and a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

mother, she moved to Australia as a child, and became well known for her long-running,

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

-breaking role as the co-host and letter-turner on game show '' Wheel of Fortune''. She died in 2010 from a ruptured intestine, after several years of ill health.

Career

Xenides having emigrated from Argentina to Adelaide, South Australia in her teens, gained a career as a model and was a finalist in the first Mrs. South Australia contest in 1978. After being approached by Grundy Television, Xenides joined

Ernie Sigley Ernest William Sigley (2 September 1938 – 15 August 2021) was an Australian Gold Logie award winning television host, comedian, variety performer, radio presenter and singer. Known as a pioneer of radio and television in Australian, he was o ...

as co-host of Australia's version of ''Wheel of Fortune'' in 1981. She remained on the show for 18 years, working with Sigley, John Burgess (between 1984 and 1996), Tony Barber (1996) and Rob Elliott, and for the first 15 of those years—from 1981 to 1996—she never missed an episode. Xenides formally departed the show in 1999, and she was listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-running game show host. This worldwide record was broken by her American counterpart,

Vanna White Vanna Marie White (née Rosich; born February 18, 1957) is an American television personality and game-show hostess, best known as the co-host of the game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position she has held since 1982. She began her career as a ...

, in 2001, but Xenides still holds the Australian record. Xenides' later television appearances were as a panelist on the talk show ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', as a contestant on ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...

'' in 2002, and a stint with her ''Wheel of Fortune'' co-host John Burgess on ''

Burgo's Catch Phrase ''Burgo's Catch Phrase'' is an Australian game show that ran between 1997 and 2003, produced by Southern Star Group (and later by the joint-venture Endemol Southern Star) for the Nine Network. The show was based on the British and American ...

''. In 1985, she presented the multi-award-winning promotional film ''Adelaide Welcomes the World,'' produced by Kate Kennedy White and Peter Vaughton for the South Australian Film Corporation.

Personal life

Xenides was married three times.The Daily Telegraph: Adriana Xenides – the misfortune of TV's lonely beauty, by Janet Fife-Yeomans and Annette Sharp, 12 June 2010
/ref> Her first marriage at age 19 was to Adelaide mortgage broker Michael Xenides. They divorced after only three years, but Adriana kept Michael's last name for the remainder of her career. In 1982, she had a one-year marriage to Adelaide restaurateur Frank Cortazzo. Her final marriage was to Adelaide businessman Robert Phillips, which lasted two years. Adriana had several further fiancés, including wine heir Tom Hardy and artist John Dobie.

Driving charges

In 2006, Xenides was disqualified from driving for 18 months and put on a good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm. She had been involved in a head-on crash in which both she and one of the other drivers involved in the collision suffered serious injuries. Xenides initially pleaded not guilty, blaming a combination of sneezing and sun glare, but changed the plea after her first court appearance. In July 2007, Xenides pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while under suspension, and was fined and banned from driving for an additional two years.

Illness and death

Xenides suffered from an extended period of ill health, that included severe depression and anorexia. Xenides stated that she had received electroconvulsive "shock" treatment for her depression, but it was of no help to her. In July 2007, Xenides told Seven's ''

Today Tonight ''Today Tonight'' was an Australian current affairs television program produced by the Seven Network. It aired from January 1995 to November 2019 in Adelaide and Perth. Editions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were previously produced be ...

'' program that she had a

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

digestive disorder which had caused abdominal bloating to a size suggesting pregnancy, and severe pain. Doctors were reportedly uncertain about the causes for this condition, suggesting that in Xenides's case it may have been genetic. She also claimed that the reason she drove her car while under suspension was so that she could get medication for the disease to prevent extreme pain. In 2010, Xenides told ''

Woman's Day ''Woman's Day'' is an American women's magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters (magazines), Seven Sisters magazines. ...

'' magazine that she had suffered five

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

s in the preceding two years. Xenides died at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, on 7 June 2010 from a ruptured intestine. She had been admitted to hospital days earlier suffering from a stomach ailment.

Bibliography

* ''The Silver Dog and the Bear'' (1997),

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xenides, Adriana 1956 births 2010 deaths Argentine people of Greek descent Argentine emigrants to Australia Australian children's writers Australian television presenters Australian women television presenters Australian people of Greek descent Australian people of Spanish descent Deaths from digestive disease Mass media people from Adelaide Mass media people from Buenos Aires Participants in Australian reality television series