EXCLUSIVEVanna White’s son Nikko Santo Pietro revealed something his father used to do after their divorce in 2002 that left the Wheel of Fortune star stunned
Vanna White’s son, Nikko Santo Pietro, opened up about growing up visiting the set of Wheel of Fortune as a kid and even revealed a tidbit about his dad, Vanna’s ex-husband, George, that the game show host did not know.
The mother-son duo recently spoke with People, and the 31-year-old gushed about his mom, who has been a fixture on the popular game show since 1982. Nikko praised Vanna for being “an amazing mother,” who is “no different at home” than the warm personality that shines through the TV screen during Wheel of Fortune.
He also revealed that his father remained a fan of the show even after they split up in 2002, which came as a surprise to her.
Nikko and Vanna were asked if they ever watched Wheel of Fortune together at home, to which they admitted they rarely do. “We didn’t watch Wheel of Fortune. Isn’t that terrible to say?” Vanna said.
“I mean, of course it would be if it was on, we would watch it, but we didn’t make a point to every night sit down and watch it. That’s a terrible thing for me to say,” she added.
Nikko revealed that he would watch the show at his dad’s house after their split. “You know what the truth is that when my mom and dad separated, my dad would watch Wheel of Fortune, so I watched it probably more than she did,” he said.
“I didn’t know that,” Vanna admitted.
Vanna married restaurateur George Santo Piero in 1990, and together they had two children: Nikko in 1994 and Gigi in 1997. The couple divorced in 2002 after 12 years of marriage.
Nikko says he “loved” watching his mom, who he referred to as “America’s Sweetheart” on television when he was growing up, and that he still does. “I still love seeing her when I’m out at a place and the TV’s on and Wheel of Fortune’s on, it always feels so good to see her do her thing,” he told People.
The letter-turner has been an integral part of the iconic game show for decades, serving as co-host to Pat Sajak before Ryan Seacrest took on hosting duties and joined her on the show.
Nikko recalled having many positive memories associated with the show and reminisced about visiting the set as a kid and riding around the studio on “a Razor scooter.”
“I would get recognized as Vanna White’s son. And for me it was always something really nice and that I felt proud to be a part of,” he said. “So I still pop in every now and then and get to see everyone and it’s like family.”
New episodes of Season 43 of Wheel of Fortune air on weeknights at 7:30 PM EST and are available to stream on Hulu the next day.
It comes after tragedy as a family portrait exposes a sick secret before dad killed all 7 in a massacre.
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