White was born Vanna Marie Rosich in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the daughter of Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich. Her family is of Croatian and Polish background.[citation needed] White took the name of her stepfather, Herbert Stackley White Jr., a former real estate agent in North Myrtle Beach. One of White's ancestors, whose last name was Barnes, was one of the first mayors of the city Read more...

White's first national television appearance came on the June 20, 1980 episode of the seminal game show The Price Is Right, in which she was among the first four contestants to "come on down." She did not make it onstage, but the clip of her running to Contestants' Row would be rebroadcast as part of The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Special in August 1996 and also would be featured on the special Read more...

White dated Playgirl centerfold/Chippendales-dancer-turned-actor John Gibson in the 1980s, and they eventually became engaged. The relationship came to a tragic end in 1986 when Gibson was killed in a plane crash. White divorced her husband of 11 years, George Santo Pietro, in November 2002, maintaining custody of their two young children, Nicholas and Giovanna. From 2004 to 2006, she was engaged Read more...