It takes a certain kind of toughness to survive in showbiz - and a whole lot of magic to make it last. Hear how game show legend Vanna White solved the biggest puzzle of all, turning her career into a ‘wheel’ of a deal, and becoming the face of ‘fortune’ we all admire.
CAT: We are so honoured to have the beautiful (and I do mean beautiful inside and out) and delightful celebrity, Ms Vanna White, co-host of Wheel of Fortune fame, with us here today. Thank you so much for joining us. 

VANNA: Thank you for having me.

CAT: You’re here today supporting some very special charities, including Variety, the Children’s Charity and others. But we’re going to talk about you first. Vanna, how did it all begin? We all want to know. Did you get a phone call? What did your agent call up and say? Did you jump up and down and go, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my big break.’ Take us back to that moment and tell us where it all started.

VANNA: It all started on Dance Fever, which was a Merv Griffin show. Janet Jones at the time, who is now Janet Gretzky, is a friend of mine. And I heard they were looking for a replacement on Wheel of Fortune. And I knew it was a Merv show, so I said to Janet, ‘Hey, can you introduce me to somebody?’ And she introduced me to someone there that day, and he said, ‘If we haven’t made a decision on a Wheel of Fortune Hostess, you give us a call on October 5th.’ I called him on October 5th at 10 am, and they had not made a decision. So I went in for the audition - and got it.

CAT: So, did you know? Did you say, ‘Oh my God, this is my big break?’ Because you had done some acting, you were modelling, and you are a showbiz person. Did you know what had happened at that moment?

VANNA: Well, I knew that I was going to be on TV, so I was thrilled - and I was going to have a paying job. And at that point, the nighttime version wasn’t on yet. It was only the daytime version. So I didn’t know where it would go. So Pat Sajak and I are sitting in the makeup chair one day, and I said, ‘I wonder where we’ll be in 10 years. And it’s been 40.

CAT: She admitted that out loud, ladies and gentlemen. She admitted that out loud. (laughing)

VANNA: Let me add that I was 11 when I started. (laughing)

CAT: I was going to say - you started when you were six. So, you now have this glamorous job - and I’m going to get this one out of the way first because my listeners would never forgive me if we didn’t ask you. It’s a glamorous life. It looks like a glamorous life. And I think one of the things all of us girls go for is the clothes. Tell us about the clothes. Where do you get them? Do you get to keep them? Have you ever worn the same outfit twice? Let’s talk about the clothes.

VANNA: Great question. The clothes come from designers that send their clothes to the studio. I wear them, and then they take them back - so I do not get to keep them. And I’ve worn over 7,500+ dresses - and I’ve only repeated one - and that was by mistake.

CAT: You’re kidding. What one was it?

VANNA: I don’t remember. I was traumatized. (laughing)

CAT: Now, I don’t know about you, but when I do red carpets, and the dress is all sequins and beads and bits - between you and me, I kind of hate them. Because if you twist wrong or a bead pops and you hear it popping, or you’re breathing wrong - it’s kind of traumatic when you wreck a designer dress. Am I right? It’s kind of upsetting.

VANNA: You know, some of the dresses aren’t the most comfortable. They look gorgeous on, but you know, you’re squeezed in there. They’re tight, and you can hardly move - but they look good. So that’s the most important thing.

CAT: Well, accessories are an important part of fashion and show business. But maybe one of your better accessories is your co-host, Pat Sajak. (laughing) You guys are like peanut butter and jelly. Nobody wants to see you by yourselves. They want the team. They want Pat and Vanna. It’s not Pat by himself. That’s no good.