Maria Candela Ferro aka Maria biography

Real biography: Candela Ferro is without a doubt one of the most charismatic and respected Hispanic female personalities to embellish the small screen. Her work as host of the show Ocurrio Asi (Telemundo) launched her into stardom, positioning her as one of the most recognizable and acclaimed figures in Hispanic TV.

At present, Candela is the host of Telemundo's primetime show Decisiones,(M-F 10PM), as well as the Networks major specials.

Candela is one of the few on air talents in the Hispanic market to host shows on not one; but two important television networks, Telemundo and E! Entertainment Latin America. Aside from her work in Telemundo she also hosts a new show for E! Entertainment Latin America; “Mil Preguntas, Una Estrella” (One Thousand Questions, One Star). This show has Candela interviewing one on one with Stars like; Jennifer López, Penélope Cruz, Thalia, Paulina Rubio and Gloria Trevi.

She has been the host of “Ripley’s Aunque Usted no lo Crea,” the Spanish version of the popular TV show for 4 consecutive seasons.

Candela was born in Argentina, in a town called Reconquista. At an early age she realized she loved entertaining people, she would mimic Libertad Lamarque, a famous Argentinean tango vocalist, and she would passionately recite poems by García Lorca, her favorite writer and one of the most influential Spanish writers of all time. Candela knew she was destined to become an “entertainer”.

She studied Communications at the University of Buenos Aires, thinking that she would be able to showcase her many talents through this career. At age 18, she began working in a local TV show called ‘Domingo Total’, which was broadcast live every weekend. She also worked as an entertainment reporter for the show ‘De boca en boca’ at ATC Television and collaborated as host for the very popular game show ‘El juego de la Oca’ on Channel 13 in Argentina. For two years she anchored a show focused on women’s issues, current events and celebrity interviews on ‘Utilísima Satelital,’ also in Argentina.

In 1999, she came to the USA with the aspiration of becoming a journalist and a TV presenter. And in the year 2000, Candela’s life took a spectacular turn for the best, when she was approached by Telemundo Internacional to work as a writer, producer and presenter for the Network. Since joining Telemundo, now part of the NBC family, Candela has had the honor of hosting the Latin Billboard Music Awards in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006, an event that is watched by millions of viewers throughout the world. She hosted for 4 consecutive years the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for Telemundo (simulcast by NBC) and the Miss Universe Pageant from Panama in 2003 , from Ecuador in 2004 , Thailand in 2005 and from Los Angeles in 2006.

In 2002 Candela presented the INTE Awards (Spanish Television Industry Awards) in Miami, the Golden Globe Awards in Spanish and the Red Carpet pre-show to the Tribute to Celia Cruz.

In 2003 she was nominated as best female presenter of the Year in the INTE Awards

In 2004 she hosted the Hispanic Heritage Awards and has been the host of Premio de la Gente in Los Angeles three times.

In 2005 she hosted the live special of the Wedding of Charles and Camila for E! Entertainment Latin America, the most important cable signal in the Spanish entertainment industry. As part as her collaborations with the cable network, she recently interviewed Ricky Martin in the special entitled “Ricky Martin en Candela.”

Her striking beauty and charm are make her a darling among the media, where she is constantly featured not only for her incomparable good looks but also for her commendable accomplishments. She was featured in People En Español Magazine as one of the “25 most beautiful” of 2001 and recently in the 2004 “50 most beautiful” and was featured in the People En Español’s 2003 swimsuit edition. She has also graced the pages of Vogue en Español, Ocean Drive en Español, Cristina La Revista, TV y Novelas, TV Notas, Cosmoflorida Magazine, Caras , Para Ti, Gente, Gabo and recently appeared as the cover of Selecta Magazine.

In the last few months she has hosted several specials related with humanitarian causes, such as Telemundo’s Tsunami special “Unidos con el Mundo: por las víctimas del Tsunami” in collaboration with the Red Cross and the special “Noche de Paz,” benefiting the Special Olympics. Candela has also contributed to the latest Red Cross ad campaign in Spanish.