Vanna White married John Donaldson in 2026
22 january 2026 в 23:13
Vanna White, the renowned television host, has been delighting audiences for over four decades, particularly thanks to her iconic role on the show «Wheel of Fortune», - where she has been revealing letters since the early 1980s. After the retirement of her long-time partner Pat Sajak in 2024, she continued to host the program alongside Ryan Seacrest in the 2025−26 season.
While the show remains her main focus, Vanna’s personal life drew attention in January 2026 when she announced that she had quietly married her long-time partner John Donaldson in a private ceremony. Announcing the news on Instagram on January 21, she wrote, «Surprise! We got married!» after more than a decade of living together.
Before marrying Donaldson, Vanna was previously married to restaurateur George Santo Pietro from 1990 to 2002, with whom she has two children. Read on to learn more about Vanna and John’s relationship, as well as her past romances!
Vanna and John began dating in 2012, and their relationship has gradually grown stronger over the years. The «Wheel of Fortune» host often spoke about the simplicity of their life together, once describing the perfect evening in a 2019 interview with Closer Weekly as «a very simple dinner with a bottle of wine… at home or at a restaurant—as long as I’m not cooking!»
Over the years, Donaldson has also bonded with Vanna’s two children, and the television host frequently shared photos of their blended family on Instagram, celebrating holidays and important events together. She consistently praised Donaldson in interviews, saying in 2016, «He's kind, understanding, and lets me be myself… The biggest surprise for my fans is probably how simple my life is in real life».
For many years, Vanna downplayed the significance of marriage, even stating in 2019, «We feel married», - explaining that a legal document isn’t necessary for everyone. However, in a surprising announcement in January 2026, she revealed that she and Donaldson had officially married in a private ceremony, sharing the joyful news on social media after more than a decade of living together.
While Vanna is a showbiz icon, John has been a business owner for about 30 years. He owns a contracting company that he founded in 1992 and officially registered in 1998, according to his website. As a contractor, he has worked on homes for stars like Richard Dreyfuss and Dan Aykroyd, but he possesses skills suitable for a variety of jobs. «For over two decades, JDC has earned the trust of individuals, families, and institutions throughout Southern and Northern California for various residential repairs, from single-family homes to apartment complexes with 100 to 600 units», - his website states.
Vanna was previously married once to George Santo Pietro from 1990 to 2002. They have two children: son Nikko and daughter Gigi. Although the couple mostly kept quiet about their relationship, they revealed that Vanna was pregnant while playing on «Wheel» in 1992, but unfortunately lost the baby shortly thereafter. She opened up about the bitterness of that loss in a 2019 interview with People. «Obviously, I lost a baby, which was devastating after the announcement. The good news is that I was able to get pregnant again and had two beautiful, healthy children», - she said. «But losing a baby—there's nothing good about that».
In addition to her marriage to George, Vanna had planned to marry at least two more times. She was engaged to dancer and actor John Gibson in the 1980s. John tragically died in a plane crash in May 1986. She shared that fans of the show have shared their own stories of similar experiences with her in the aforementioned interview with People. «I've heard from many people who have gone through the same loss, and it really helped me. I didn’t feel alone», - she said
While the show remains her main focus, Vanna’s personal life drew attention in January 2026 when she announced that she had quietly married her long-time partner John Donaldson in a private ceremony. Announcing the news on Instagram on January 21, she wrote, «Surprise! We got married!» after more than a decade of living together.
Before marrying Donaldson, Vanna was previously married to restaurateur George Santo Pietro from 1990 to 2002, with whom she has two children. Read on to learn more about Vanna and John’s relationship, as well as her past romances!
Vanna and John began dating in 2012, and their relationship has gradually grown stronger over the years. The «Wheel of Fortune» host often spoke about the simplicity of their life together, once describing the perfect evening in a 2019 interview with Closer Weekly as «a very simple dinner with a bottle of wine… at home or at a restaurant—as long as I’m not cooking!»
Over the years, Donaldson has also bonded with Vanna’s two children, and the television host frequently shared photos of their blended family on Instagram, celebrating holidays and important events together. She consistently praised Donaldson in interviews, saying in 2016, «He's kind, understanding, and lets me be myself… The biggest surprise for my fans is probably how simple my life is in real life».
For many years, Vanna downplayed the significance of marriage, even stating in 2019, «We feel married», - explaining that a legal document isn’t necessary for everyone. However, in a surprising announcement in January 2026, she revealed that she and Donaldson had officially married in a private ceremony, sharing the joyful news on social media after more than a decade of living together.
While Vanna is a showbiz icon, John has been a business owner for about 30 years. He owns a contracting company that he founded in 1992 and officially registered in 1998, according to his website. As a contractor, he has worked on homes for stars like Richard Dreyfuss and Dan Aykroyd, but he possesses skills suitable for a variety of jobs. «For over two decades, JDC has earned the trust of individuals, families, and institutions throughout Southern and Northern California for various residential repairs, from single-family homes to apartment complexes with 100 to 600 units», - his website states.
Vanna was previously married once to George Santo Pietro from 1990 to 2002. They have two children: son Nikko and daughter Gigi. Although the couple mostly kept quiet about their relationship, they revealed that Vanna was pregnant while playing on «Wheel» in 1992, but unfortunately lost the baby shortly thereafter. She opened up about the bitterness of that loss in a 2019 interview with People. «Obviously, I lost a baby, which was devastating after the announcement. The good news is that I was able to get pregnant again and had two beautiful, healthy children», - she said. «But losing a baby—there's nothing good about that».
In addition to her marriage to George, Vanna had planned to marry at least two more times. She was engaged to dancer and actor John Gibson in the 1980s. John tragically died in a plane crash in May 1986. She shared that fans of the show have shared their own stories of similar experiences with her in the aforementioned interview with People. «I've heard from many people who have gone through the same loss, and it really helped me. I didn’t feel alone», - she said
© Puhova Marina
