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Pia Whitesell

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Pia Whitesell
Whitesell in 2015
Born
Pia Loyola Blanco[nt 1]

(1983-11-02) 2 November 1983 (age 41)
Viña del Mar, Chile
Other namesPia Miller
Occupation(s)Model, actress, presenter
Years active1998–present (modelling)
2010–present (acting)
Spouses
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2016)​
​
(m. 2021)​
Children2
Modelling information
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Hair colourBrown[1]
Eye colourBrown[1]
AgencyChadwick Models[1]

Pia Whitesell (née Loyola Blanco, previously Miller; born 2 November 1983) is an Australian model, actress and television presenter. Whitesell came to prominence after winning Dolly's annual modelling competition. She later competed in the second series of Search for a Supermodel. Whitesell has appeared in various advertising campaigns for brands such as Myer and Mossimo. She became the co-host of Qantas' in-flight entertainment programs in 2010 and was named the first Australian celebrity tourism ambassador for Chile in 2014.

After taking acting lessons and presentation classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2009, Whitesell became a presenter on the travel show Postcards Victoria and made guest appearances in several television shows, including East West 101 and Neighbours. From 2015 until 2018, Whitesell portrayed Kat Chapman in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She received a nomination for the Logie Award for Best New Talent. After leaving Home and Away, Whitesell starred in Nine Network's Bite Club.

Early life

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Pia Loyola Blanco was born on 2 November 1983 in Viña del Mar,[2] to former fashion designer Angélica Blanco. She left Chile for Australia when she was four years old, along with her mother, brother and sister.[2][3] Her grandmother later joined the family.[4] When she was seven, Whitesell’s mother enrolled her in a modelling school.[2]

Career

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Modelling

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In 1998, when she was fourteen, Whitesell won a modelling competition run by teen magazine Dolly and was given a contract with Chadwick Models.[2][5] By the time she was sixteen, Whitesell had travelled around the world for catwalk shows. She finished secondary school by correspondence.[2] Whitesell appeared on the second series of Search for a Supermodel in 2001.[6] After Search for a Supermodel, Whitesell secured a contract with L'Oréal to appear in a 2003 campaign.[7] Whitesell has featured in advertising campaigns for Myer, Mossimo, Midas, Australian Unity, Crown Casino and Jump.[5][6][8] She has also been cast in various television commercials and endorsed brands such as Samsung and Cadbury.[5]

In 2009, Whitesell's image was featured on a T-shirt by designer Nick Bowes for the fashion label KRMA. Actors Adrian Grenier and John Stamos were later spotted wearing the T-shirt.[9] Both Whitesell and Bowes was surprised by the attention it got, saying "When he asked if he could use the headshot, I thought nothing of it. The success of the T-shirt has caught both of us by surprise. I am really flattered and humbled by it."[9] The following year, Whitesell was named the official ambassador for the 2010 Australian Grand Prix.[10]

In July, Whitesell replaced Deborah Hutton as the co-host of Qantas' in-flight entertainment programs.[10] She became the face of Megan Gale's swimwear line for Summer 2012/2013.[11] In 2014, Whitesell became the first Australian celebrity tourism ambassador for Chile.[12][13] She also became a brand ambassador for the Mazda CX-5 in January 2015.[14] Later that year, Whitesell starred in a video for Maybelline promoting their new mascara and eyeliner products.[citation needed] In 2017, Whitesell became the first Australian ambassador for the Gillette Venus brand.[15] The following year, she was named as the official ambassador for Melbourne Fashion Week. She also modelled for Caltrate vitamins.[16]

Acting and presenting

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In 2009, Whitesell began taking acting lessons, and attended voice and presentation classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[2] The following year, she became a presenter on Nine Network's travel show Postcards Victoria.[17] She left the show in 2012.[18] Whitesell made several appearances on the Network Ten talk show The Circle discussing red carpet fashions.[18] In 2011, Whitesell appeared in the romantic comedy film Big Mamma's Boy and television crime drama East West 101.[2] The following year, she was cast in Conspiracy 365 and guest starred as Monica Wetherby in an episode of Neighbours.[19] Whitesell made a guest appearance in Wonderland in 2013.[20]

In August 2014, Whitesell joined the cast of Home and Away in the regular role of Katarina "Kat" Chapman.[21] Whitesell began shooting her first scenes two weeks after her audition. She initially commuted to and from Sydney for filming.[21] Kat was introduced as Summer Bay's new policewoman. Whitesell said she was proud to play a strong character and added "I saw the character breakdown and what excited me the most about this character was that she isn't, in any way, sexualised."[22] Whitesell made her first screen appearance as Kat on 5 February 2015.[23] She earned a nomination for Best New Talent at the 2016 Logie Awards.[24] News outlets published photos in August 2017 of the cast filming Kat's funeral.[25] Whitesell confirmed her departure from the show in October 2017.[26] Her final scenes aired during the 2017 season finale broadcast on 18 December.[27]

In 2018, Whitesell was cast in the eight-part crime thriller Bite Club on Nine Network. She plays Kate Summers, a former nurse and best friend of Detective Senior Constable Zoe Rawlings (Ash Ricardo), a shark-attack survivor hunting a serial killer. The series also stars Todd Lasance and Dominic Monaghan.[28][29] In 2019, Whitesell co-starred in the Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the live action film adaptation of Dora the Explorer, as Dora's aunt Mami.[30]

Personal life

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Whitesell gave birth to her first son, Isaac, when she was nineteen (circa 2003).[2] In 2005, she began a relationship with AFL footballer Brad Miller. She gave birth to their son in October 2006, and they married in 2007.[2][23] In 2010, Whitesell became an Australian citizen.[2] In October 2015, the couple announced their separation.[31] From November 2017 to April 2019, she was engaged to film producer Tyson Mullane.[32][33] Pia announced her engagement to businessman Patrick Whitesell in early November 2020,[34] and the couple married in May 2021.[35]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 East West 101 Ximena
Big Mamma's Boy Maria
Project Runway Australia Herself/guest judge
2012 Conspiracy 365 Belinda Scott Episode: "February"
Neighbours Monica Wetherby Season 28 (Episode: "6535")
2013 Wonderland Attractive Woman Episode: "Motherhood"
2015–2018 Home and Away Katarina Chapman Seasons 28–31
Nominated – Logie Award for Best New Talent
2018 Bite Club Kate Summers
2019 Dora and the Lost City of Gold Sabrina

Notes

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  1. ^
    In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Loyola and the second or maternal family name is Blanco.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Pia Miller". Chadwick Models. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Miller, Megan (29 January 2011). "Pia Miller: The model of motherhood". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  3. ^ Powers, Catie (14 January 2021). "Pia Miller finally reveals her real name". New Idea. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ Barrett, Peter (8 July 2014). "Kitchen spy". The Age. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "Pia Miller Bio" (PDF). Chadwick Models. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b Murdaca, Carmarlena (4 August 2014). "Watch out Summer Bay! Meet Home and Away's sexiest new bikini-clad resident". TheFIX. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  7. ^ Brundrett, Ross; Hellard, Peta (25 March 2002). "The eye". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 March 2024 – via Gale.
  8. ^ Wells, Rachel; Dunn, Amanda (21 March 2010). "Snitch". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Pia Miller, the face of Hollywood". news.com.au. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  10. ^ a b Byrne, Fiona; Coster, Alice; Webber, Nicola (16 July 2010). "Meet the new face of Qantas". The Australian. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  11. ^ Parr, Alison (4 September 2012). "Pia Miller Sizzles in Megan Gale's Latest Isola Swimsuit Campaign". PopSugar. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  12. ^ Nissen, Kimberly (6 June 2014). "Pia Miller gives us a taste of Chile". Glam Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  13. ^ Parratt, Chanel (3 August 2014). "Actor Pia Miller talks about life by the water and her favourite travel destinations". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Mazda CX-5 powers Pia Miller". Mareeba Mazda. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  15. ^ Crane, Kris (21 August 2017). "Does Pia Miller have her sights set on Hollywood? Rumours run wild over her Home and Away future". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  16. ^ Moustafa, Abi (12 July 2018). "Pia Miller named the Melbourne Fashion Week Ambassador". Who. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Pia Miller aims for a new runway". Herald Sun. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  18. ^ a b Byrne, Fiona (24 March 2012). "High-flying Pia Miller leaves Channel 9 behind". Herald Sun. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  19. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (24 August 2012). "'Neighbours': Model Pia Miller films guest role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  20. ^ "Hot chile woman". TV Week (2): 25. 10–16 January 2015.
  21. ^ a b Dennehy, Luke (4 August 2014). "Role on Home and Away means commuting for model Pia Miller and time apart from family". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  22. ^ Downie, Stephen (24–30 January 2015). "My character is not a sex symbol". TV Week (4): 14–15.
  23. ^ a b Moran, Jonathon (1 February 2015). "Pia Miller says she's done it tough in bid to land dream Home and Away role". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  24. ^ Dunk, Tiffany (4 April 2016). "Waleed Aly to vie with Project co-host Carrie Bickmore, Lee Lin Chin, Essie Davis and Grant Denyer for Gold Logie". news.com.au. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  25. ^ Houghton, Rianne (11 August 2017). "Home and Away stars film a heartbreaking funeral for one of the show's biggest characters". Digital Spy. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  26. ^ Moustafa, Abi (10 October 2017). "Pia Miller's shock Home And Away news". New Idea. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  27. ^ Cullen, Tamara; King, Jacqui. "Pia Miller talks filming her last-ever Home And Away scene: 'It was super emotional'". TV Week. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  28. ^ King, Jacqui (12 October 2017). "Home And Away star Pia Miller starring in new crime thriller". TV Week. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  29. ^ "Everything we know so far about Bite Club". TV Week. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  30. ^ Back, Grace (21 November 2018). "Former Home And Away star Pia Miller lands major movie role". New Idea. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Home and Away star Pia Miller's marriage to former AFL footballer Brad Miller is over". Herald Sun. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  32. ^ Brennan, Bella (6 November 2017). ""Yes today. Yes always!" Home and Away's Pia Miller is engaged to Tyson Mullane And his proposal was seriously romantic!". Now to Love. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  33. ^ Smith, Delicia (7 April 2019). "Pia Miller and Tyson Mullane have called off their engagement". Who. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  34. ^ "How Pia Miller's new fiancé Patrick Whitesell is propelling her into the high life". Woman's Day. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  35. ^ Powers, Catie (24 May 2021). "Pia Miller's secret wedding accidentally exposed". New Idea. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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