Vanessa Lachey returns to present Love Is Blind and naturally, fans are eager to know all there is about the host, actress and model. Love Is Blind season eight has begun with the first six episodes dropping on Netflix, introducing the 32 singletons looking for love with engagements aplenty. While these contestants are hopeful that they’ll meet “The One” on the dating show, presenter Vanessa Lachey has already found her happily ever after with her husband and co-host Nick Lachey.
So with the show making an exciting comeback, let’s take a look at Vanessa’s life, including her relationship with Nick. Born in the Philippines, Vanessa spent her childhood frequently moving around the US as her American dad Vincent Minnillo served in the US Air Force, along with her Philippines-born mum Helen Bondoc until they separated when the star was three. Vanessa and her older brother lived in Turkey for a while with their mum and her new husband, who also served in the military, before they were evacuated back to the US as the Gulf War started in 1990.
People reported that Helen dropped her children off at their dad’s home in Los Angeles and said she would return but only came back a few times before disappearing altogether. Vanessa shared that she only saw her mum twice over the next decade.”. "I didn't really understand when she didn't come for one weekend, and then another weekend," she said. "Then you just hope she's going to come back and always wonder why she didn't. It took me [time] to understand that it wasn't [my fault].".
Vanessa went on to work as a model, actress and TV presenter, having found fame as a presenter on MTV’s Total Request. She also had some acting roles including featuring in The Bold And The Beautiful, CSI: NY, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and That’s Life. Fans may also remember that she had a small part to play in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2008 as Ashlee, a woman Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) tests a theory out on that the more bad things he does, the better luck that he has.
Ted asked Ashlee upfront if they could have a one night stand and forget about it the next morning, to which she agreed before she later went on to tell him that she was married. Since she was eight-years-old, Vanessa has struggled with hives, a raised itchy rash which is usually associated with having an allergic reaction but for the Love Is Blind star, they have tended to appear without any reason.
Opening up to Healthline, she shared: “I was eight-years-old, almost nine. I woke my dad up, and we didn’t know what was going on. “He put me in an ice bath. I think back in the day, they thought, ‘Oh, this will help relieve her skin.’ But let me tell you, I was screaming.”. She continued: “The thing is, I don’t know when they’re gonna come. “I’ve been allergy tested, and I have an intolerance to things that I try to avoid, but it can be anything from stress, to elements in the weather, to fabrics, to something in the air; anything .
“It can be a hive on my face, like a welt that lasts a few hours or a few days. “Or it can be a rash on my body that lasts a week or two. I’ve had some before on my arms, and I’ll see traces of it for over a week.”. It was a particularly exciting time for Vanessa in 2021 when she made her debut as Agent Jane Tennant in the NCIS spin-off NCIS Hawaii. She became the first female lead agent in the franchise, following in the steps of NCIS’ Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon), NCIS LA’s Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and NCIS NOLA’s Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula).
But much to CBS’ fans dismay, the show was cancelled after three seasons due to issues with filming scheduleS and efforts to manage costs. Vanessa took to Instagram at the time, sharing her emotional reaction to the news: "Gutted, confused, blindsided. Grateful, confident, beloved fans!. "Processing this news and still being present with my family. I Love You all”, before adding "Mahalo Nui Loa," which translates to "Thank you very much.".
Vanessa met her husband Nick Lachey when she was presenting Total Request as he was a frequent guest with his band 98 Degrees. The pair started dating in 2006 before getting married in 2011 and now share three children together, Camden, Brooklyn and Phoenix. But it hadn’t always been an easy ride for the couple as she shared on Netflix’s The Ultimatum which they also host together, that Vanessa actually gave Nick an ultimatum before getting married.
She explained: "I always said I was going to be that girl that would never give a man an ultimatum. We dated for five years. So I finally said, 'What are we doing?'. “I have now moved in with him, I renovated his entire bachelor pad, there was a bar in the pool. I'm like, 'Whatever you want!' Now I'm like, 'Okay, well, I want to put kids in the pool.'". She also shared during The Ultimatum’s reunion episode that there was a point in their relationship that they were looking at each other’s phones.
