A native of Rome from a father in Vignanello, Viterbo province, following her parents' separation she moved to Cagliari, her mother's hometown, with whom she then lived with her younger sister Claudia. She also has a brother named Fabio. After attending the G. Maria Dettori classical high school in Cagliari, she graduated from the Liceo San Gabriele in Rome. She then moved to Rome and began to enter show business working as a model, under the pseudonym Lolly.

In 1990 she participated in the national competition Una Ragazza Per Il Cinema (A Girl For Cinema), where she took third place, later obtaining small parts in a number of films (Un Orso Chiamato Arturo -A Bear Named Arturo- and Crack). In 1991 she made her theater debut acting in Neil Simon's play The Irresistible Boys with Mario Scaccia, playing the role of a naive and somewhat ditzy waitress. This character represented the stereotype by which she became known to the general television audience, remaining the stylistic signature of her character, procuring her enormous success.

Landing on television in the program Luna Di Miele in 1992, a program hosted by Gabriella Carlucci, she was noticed by Pier Francesco Pingitore, who in the same year made her act in the film he directed Gole Ruggenti and in 1993 made her the new prima donna of the Bagaglino troupe replacing Pamela Prati, making her debut in the variety Saluti E Baci aired on Saturday evenings in prime time on Rai 1, where she achieved great success. Also in 1993, she hosted with Gerry Scotti on Channel 5 the variety show La Grande Sfida and starred in the films Abbronzatissimi 2 - Un Anno Dopo, directed by Bruno Gaburro. In 1994 she was primadonna in the Bagaglino show Bucce Di Banana, aired on Rai Uno, and during the summer she co-hosted with Alba Parietti, Serata Mondiale, a program about the World Cup that year. In 1995, as well as primadonna of the Bagaglino variety show Champagne, aired on Channel 5, she was among the performers in the TV miniseries Sorellina E Il Principe Del Sogno, directed by Lamberto Bava, in the role of the "Spirit of the Dream Source," and voiced a character in the fifth season of the animated series The Simpsons. In 1996 she was still successfully the leading show-girl of Bagaglino in the Channel 5 variety show Red Roses, and was chosen by Spanish director Juan José Bigas Luna to star in the erotic film Bambola, which also made her known to Spanish audiences. In the same year she returned to the theater, starring in Garson Kanin's play Nata Ieri, directed by director Giuseppe Patroni Griffi.

From 1994 until 1996 she became IP's spokesperson in a series of commercials and posed for two calendars, in 1995 and 1996, (in the latter she was photographed by Helmut Newton and achieved a record circulation of 3 million copies). She then posed for two more calendars in 2000, when she was photographed by David LaChapelle, and in 2005 for Maxim monthly.

In 1997 she hosted, with Mike Bongiorno and Piero Chiambretti, the 47th edition of the Sanremo Festival (an edition that reached an average of almost 14 million viewers per episode with an average 58% share); she also took part in the Dopofestival episodes hosted by Bruno Vespa as a regular guest and correspondent. In the same year she returned to be the prima donna of Bagaglino in a special episode of Viva La Italiane, which paid tribute to her, and hosted with Fabrizio Frizzi, live from Cannes on Rai 2, the show Tutti In Una Notte.

The following year she returned to acting: she starred together with Alberto Sordi in Incontri Proibiti, the last film directed by Sordi himself, which was presented out of competition at the 55th Venice International Film Festival. At the director's behest, the film will be re-released in theaters, with a new cut and with the title Sposami Papà, in 2002. Also in 1998, she was in the cast of the Rai 2 serial Pepe Carvalho, which aired in Italy, France and Spain, and the Channel 5 TV miniseries The Seventh Papyrus, in which she starred alongside Roy Scheider. In the fall of that year she was supposed to co-host with Sabina Guzzanti the program La posta Del cuore, aired on Rai 2, but following disagreements with network director Carlo Freccero she abandoned the project and took part only in the first episode of the program.

In 1999 she hosted with Pippo Baudo the variety show La Canzone Del Secolo, aired on Canale 5, and joined Daniele Piombi in hosting the Barocco Award, broadcast by Rai 1. On New Year's Eve of the same year she co-hosted with Gigi Proietti C'era una Volta IL '900, a prime-time section of the Millennium - La Notte Del 2000 television marathon.

In 2000 and 2001 she made two films in Spain, where she gained popularity: Corazón De Bombón directed by Álvaro Saenz de Heredia and Buñuel y La Mesa Del Rey Salomón directed by Carlos Saura. In the same years she returned to the theater as the main character in the play All'Angelo azzurro, directed and performed by Giorgio Albertazzi. In the 2001/2002 television season she was special correspondent and regular guest for Quelli Che Il Calcio on Rai 2 and co-host of Donna Domenica with Paola Cortellesi on Radio Due. She later returned to work for Pier Francesco Pingitore as the lead in the TV film Da Lui Diretto La Palestra, broadcast on Channel 5 on January 16, 2003. In the same month, he presents on Rai 2 together with Max Pisu the BravoGrazie comedy festival. From February of the same year, he returned to the Bagaglino company as prima donna of the variety show Miconsenta, broadcast on Channel 5.

In 2004 she was again the prima donna of the Bagaglino for the Channel 5 variety show Barbecue. In October of the same year she was among the leads in the film In Questo Mondo Di Ladri alongside, among others, Ricky Tognazzi and Leo Gullotta, directed by Carlo Vanzina. The year 2005 marked the showgirl's return to RAI: in the spring she took part as a pundit in the second edition of Music Farm, hosted by Simona Ventura on Rai 2, and on June 22 she hosted live on Rai 1, together with Michele Cucuzza, the gala La Kore - Oscar Della moda. She stayed on to host the show the following year as well, when she was joined by Luisa Corna. The same year also marked her debut in the world of fashion; she created her own lingerie line, Seduzioni, and a ready-to-wear line, Seduzioni Diamonds, which she presented annually on the haute couture catwalks of Milan, and then also arrived in Los Angeles; the two lines were very successful. The favorable sales success also led her to open some mono-brand boutiques in Porto Cervo and Rome. In 2005 she was testimonial of the telephone company 3 Italia in several commercials with Claudio Amendola of which the phrase uttered by her has become famous: "video call me."

In 2006 she participated as a show-girl in the first episode of the variety show Suonare Stella hosted by Tosca D'Aquino on Rai 2 and hosted on Rai Uno, with journalist Massimo Caputi, the music and solidarity show Con Tutto Il Cuore. In the same year she paraded, in a mermaid-style aqua-colored dress, at the grand opening parade for the Winter Olympics in Turin as a Fellini-esque figure. Also in 2006 she was one of the contestants on Reality Circus, presented by Barbara D'Urso. In 2007 she hosted with Claudio Amendola and Cristina Chiabotto the variety show Scherzi A Parte. In 2008, in addition to also continuing as a stylist, she participated as a juror in the Rai 1 show Uomo e Gentiluomo, hosted by Milly Carlucci. In the same year she starred in the Lambretta Pato commercial for which she became testimonial and appeared in the video for It's Ok, a song by the San Marino music group Miodio.

In July 2008 her autobiographical book Lezioni Intime, written together with Gianluca Lo Vetro, was published by Cairo Editore, in which she describes spicy and other details of her life, both private and artistic. On September 29, 2008, she agreed to participate as a non-competing castaway for one week in the sixth edition of The Island of the Famous, with the reality show already started; she agreed to take part in the game only because of a bet made with host Simona Ventura (in 2011 her mother Gianna Orrù participated in the reality show).

Nell'aprile Del 2009 è tornata a calcare IL palcoscenico Del Bagaglino come primadonna, assieme ad altre sette showgirl, per due puntate Del varietà Bellissima - Cabaret anticrisi, in onda su Canale 5, ultimo spettacolo Della compagnia a essere trasmesso in televisione. Per la stessa rete, è tra i protagonisti Della serie televisiva in sei puntate Piper, diretta da Francesco Vicario. Nello stesso anno è stata protagonista di un docu-reality in quattro puntate, intitolato Essere Valeria, andato onda sul canale satellitare Fox Life di Sky Italia che mostra IL dietro le quinte Della sua vita, privata e artistica[. È la prima diva italiana alla quale viene dedicata una docu-story. Sempre nel 2009, ha recitato nel ruolo di se stessa e coprodotto IL cortometraggio Dolls, diretto da Salvatore Arimatea, distribuito nell'anno successivo. Nella stagione televisiva 2009/2010 affianca su Rai 1 Pippo Baudo nella conduzione di Domenica In, in cui si occupy di uno spazio di interviewed a Donne Del mondo Della spettacolo.

From January to March 2010 she was among the hosts, along with Pupo, Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia and Georgia Luzi, of the ninth edition of the Rai 1 program I Raccomandati. In the same period, in collaboration with Roberto Onofri, she recorded her first single, a cover of Domenico Modugno's Volare; the proceeds from the song were entirely donated to earthquake victims in Abruzzo, victims of the strong earthquake of April 6, 2009. In the same year, U.S. director Sofia Coppola chose her to play herself in the film Somewhere, winner of the Golden Lion for best film at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and she made her debut as a film producer at the Rome International Film Festival with the Spanish film I Want to Be a Soldier, directed by Christian Molina, in which she played the role of a teacher. The film, presented in competition in the Alice nella city section, was awarded the Marc'Aurelio d'Argento - Alice Nella Città: under 12. Also in 2010, she collaborates with Gigi D'Alessio performing as a singer on some stages of her tour and participating in the compilation 3 x Te, in which she is featured with two songs written for her by the singer-songwriter: Amare Amare Amare and Seduzione Di Donna (for which she also produces two video clips). All proceeds from sales of the compilation are donated to charity.

In 2011, she is confirmed along with Pupo, Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia and Debora Salvalaggio in hosting the tenth and final edition of I Raccomandati. In the same year she participated in the film La Mia Mamma Suona Il Rock, directed by Massimo Ceccherini. Since January 25, 2012, she has been a contestant in the ninth edition of the reality show L'Isola Dei Famosi, hosted by Nicola Savino and Vladimir Luxuria on Rai 2. In the same year she stars in the cinema in the comedies Operazione Vacanze, directed by Claudio Fragasso, and E Io NonPpago - l'Italia Dei Furbetti, directed by Alessandro Capone, in which she acts in Sardinian. On May 13, 2013, an episode of the fifth season of The Witness focused on her aired on MTV, in which host Pif followed and filmed her private and working life for two days. In 2014 she played a small part in the film Un Ragazzo D'oro, directed by Pupi Avati.

From February 21 to March 14, 2015, she participated as a contestant in the third edition of the talent show Notti Sul Ghiaccio, broadcast on Rai 1 and hosted by Milly Carlucci. From Sept. 19 to Nov. 7, 2016, she participated as a contestant in the first Italian edition of the reality show Grande Fratello VIP, aired on Canale 5 and hosted by Ilary Blasi, reaching the final and finishing in third place. From the following November 25, she returned after several years to join the Bagaglino company in the show Magnàmose Tutto! - Donne Che Avete Intelletto D'Amore written and directed by Pier Francesco Pingitore, on stage at the Salone Margherita in Rome until Feb. 5, 2017. The show is also broadcast on television by Canale 5 on February 26, 2017 in late evening, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Bagaglino's TV shows.

On March 18, 2017 she takes part in the role of juror in Le Olimpiadi Della TV, a special episode of Uomini e Donne in prime time on Channel 5.

In February 2018, she stars together with Costantino Della Gherardesca, Elisabetta Canalis, Paola Ferrari and Eleonora Giorgi in the Rai 2 docu-reality Le Spose Di Costantino. In March, ten years after her first participation, she takes part in the reality show L'isola Dei Famosi for the third time, participating as a guest star in the 13th edition of the program. Also in March, he takes part in the VIP episode Di Alta Infedeltà on Real Time with Daniele Marcheggiani. In the same year, he is among the voice actors in the film Show Dogs - Let's Enter, in theaters from May 10. In the fall of 2018 she is among the protagonists, paired with her then boyfriend Patrick Baldassari, of the first edition of the reality show Temptation Island VIP, hosted by Simona Ventura on Channel 5. She later joins the cast of Uomini E Donne as a "Party Planner," that is, organizer of the engagement parties of the program's trunists at the Castello Di Torcrescenza, broadcast in special prime-time episodes between February and March 2019. On July 27, 2019, she released a reggaeton genre single entitled Me Gusta. From November 27 until February of the following year she stars in the theater, as herself, in Pier Francesco Pingitore's show La Presidente - Valeria Marini elected to the Quirinale. In the same period she is in the cast of the second edition of the program CR4 - La Repubblica Delle Donne, hosted by Piero Chiambretti on Rete 4.

From February 24, 2020, she participated as a contestant in the fourth edition of Big Brother VIP, hosted by Alfonso Signorini on Channel 5, entering the game after a month and a half from the start of the edition. On April 15, 2020, La Presidente - Valeria Marini AL Quirinale, a television transposition of her last theatrical show with the Bagaglino company, was broadcast in late evening on Rete 4. In the same year she is in the cast of two documentaries: Siamo Tutti Alberto Sordi?, broadcast by Sky Arte on April 12, 2020, and Cecchi Gori - Una Famiglia Italiana, presented the previous year at the Rome Film Festival and released on July 7, 2020. In the music field, on June 26, 2020 she released a Latin pop genre single titled Boom, and on December 24, 2020 the Christmas song My Christmas is a Bomb, performed together with Kelly Joyce; both songs were accompanied by music videos.

In 2021 she takes part in two reality shows: Supervivientes, the Spanish version of L'isola Dei Famosi and the sixth edition of Big Brother VIP, this time paired with Giacomo Urtis.

In the fall of 2022 she takes part in Tale e quale show and later in NaTale e quale show.

She had a long relationship with Vittorio Cecchi Gori, a film producer, supporting him even during his financial failure. The two broke up and got back together several times, even straddling the Florentine producer's imprisonment. During the relationship, Valeria had a miscarriage, caused by some health problems.

On May 5, 2013, she married businessman Giovanni Cottone in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome, from whom, however, she separated after less than a year. The Sacra Rota later declared the marriage null and void, as it came to light that Cottone had previously been married in the church to another woman.

She later had an affair with entrepreneur Patrick Baldassari in 2018, with whom she participated in the first edition of Temptation Island VIP, from which they exited separately.

In 2021, she was in danger of losing her left eye due to a muscular hole, which required emergency surgery.

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Valeria Marini

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