With her warm smile, charismatic personality and beauty to boot, Dina Pugliese makes early mornings a whole lot easier to bear. Get to know the beloved host of City's Breakfast Television a little better with these fun facts!
1. Born in Toronto and raised in Woodbridge, Ont., Dina is one of three siblings in a large Italian family.
2. What was Dina like in high school? Let’s just say we would have loved to have been at her lunch table - “In high school, I was leader of the marketing board, the dance committee, the photography club, so they nominated me valedictorian. Everybody knew me; I loved making sure everybody had a good time. They called me the Oprah of the school then. I would help put together the school paper and I loved English,” she told Hello!’s sister publication Canadian Health & Lifestyle magazine.
3. Before joining Breakfast Television’s award-wining morning show in 2006, Dina admits she was a professional late bloomer - landing her first on-air gig at the age of 29 (on the now defunct Toronto 1’s show The A-List) after years behind the camera. The York University alum told her alma mater’s magazine that when it came to being in front of the camera, she “didn’t have the confidence back then,” and worried, “what if I’m too spicy-Italian for them?”
4. From the Toronto International Film Festival red carpet to the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Dina has charmed the pants off of some of Hollywood’s elite, including Jared Leto, Taylor Swift, Ringo Starr, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
5. Working on a morning show isn’t always sunny! Dina goes to bed at 7 pm and wakes up long before the crack of dawn at 3:30 am. The TV personality tells Chatelaine that weeknight date nights are more like an early-bird special: “On my schedule, I get very hungry, very early. I’m telling you I’m like an 80-year-old. We’re the first ones in the restaurant with the bartender!”
6. She is a host with the most. Viewers across Canada have watched Dina thrive as the master of ceremonies on Canada’s Got Talent and the MuchMusic VJ Search. When she isn’t hard at work on TV, she can be found emceeing charity galas for causes close to her heart, including the Children’s Aid Foundation and the Jocelyn Foundation.
7. Twitter is her playground. @DinaPugliese tweets up a storm by engaging with her fans, sharing backstage photos and showing off her infectious ("spicy-Italian") personality.
8. She is one sartorial stunner! Beauty aside, Dina knows how to dress and it’s her wide array of styles that keep her at the top of our best-dressed list. She has also teamed up with Yorkdale Mall to raise money for the Wear White for Windfall and Nanny Angel Network charities. On May 31st, the public will be able to shop her closet of on-air clothes and accessories.
9. While out at a nightclub celebrating her friend’s stagette, Dina met her future husband Alek Mirkovich. The beautiful couple were engaged within six months of dating and, according to Dina, Alek changed her mind when it came to love, telling Revive magazine that, “Friends always told me that when you met the right person ‘You just know.’ I didn’t believe that until I met Alek and then I really did know that he was the one. He’s my rock”
10. Her motto? “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Instead of thinking about your complaints, look at what you have to celebrate. Live your life to the fullest and strive to be better and happier.”