It’s been more than three decades since Vanna White first started turning letters on game show behemoth “Wheel of Fortune”, but as she looks back on her long TV career she shares one regret: stripping down to pose for sexy photos that later appeared in Playboy.
In an interview with Fox News, White — now 60 — explains that when she posed for the pics, she had no idea they’d eventually wind up in Hugh Hefner’s magazine.
“Here’s the thing,” she tells Fox News. “When I first moved to Hollywood, I was too embarrassed to ask my dad for rent money. I was young and I wanted to do it on my own. So, I did these lingerie shots and from the moment I said I would do them, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, but I’m not going to ask my dad for money, so I’m just going to do it!’ Once I got ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and some fame, Hugh Hefner then bought those pictures. He’s the one who put me on the cover of the magazine. I didn’t do it for Playboy.”
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Looking back at the experience, she says it taught her a very valuable lesson that she carries with her to this day.
“I did not want them on there, but it happened. I was very thankful that I had such support behind me. I remember going on Johnny Carson and saying, ‘I’m so sorry, this is what happened.’ And this is a lesson that applies today: Never do anything that you don’t want to do. Listen to your instincts and follow it. I said, ‘I made a mistake, I’m sorry and I just hope I don’t lose my job over it.’ Fortunately, I didn’t. I could have, you know? It was a great lesson to learn, but what can I say? I did something I shouldn’t have done.”
As “Wheel of Fortune” gears up to celebrate its 35th anniversary in September, White responds to a question about why the show has withstood the test of time, continuing to be a hit with viewers.
“For almost 35 years I’ve been asked that same question and I still don’t have an answer!” she says. “I really don’t. It’s just one of those things that every once in a while, everything falls into place… it’s just a half hour of family fun with no bad news… it’s an escape.”