Actress, model, entrepreneur - the multi-talented Eva Longoria has done it all. A fully-fledged member of the A list since US show Desperate Housewives made her a household name, the latina beauty worked endlessly for her Tinseltown break - and her hard-work and ambitious have paid dividends.
Early life
Although originally Eva had dreamed of being a model, she was turned away from fashion agencies at the height of 5"2. She wasn't always a conventional beauty, either. "I grew up as the ugly duckling. They used to call me 'la prieta fea,' which means 'the ugly dark one," she said of her childhood, which was spent on a farm in Texas as the youngest of four sisters Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette and Esmeralda Josephina.
Career
When quirky US comedy drama Desperate Housewives hit the world's TV screens back in 2004, there was one feisty character in particular who won hearts across the globe. Gabrielle Solis, whose affair with the toyboy gardener spiced up the entire first season of the show, made a star out of actress Eva Longoria - propelling her to A list fame and fortune.
While many had no idea who the sultry beauty was before she shot to worldwide fame in the hit ABC show, she had actually had a successful career prior to landing her role as Gabrielle. "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for ten years," said the star, whose first TV role came in an episode of teen drama Beverly Hills 90210 in 2000 before leading her to land a regular spot in soap The Young And The Restless.
Since the end of Desperate Housewives in 2012, Eva has gone on to appear in numerous other TV shows and films. From appearances in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Jane the Virgin to films like Frontera and Lowriders, the actress has kept busy.
She has even hosted her own travel and food docu-series, Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico.
Personal life
Eva's transformation from gawky teenager to fully-fledged Hollywood bombshell was cemented when she landed a hunky, A list boyfriend, French-born basketball star Tony Parker. In 2006 they got engaged and the following summer tied the knot in Paris, the city of love and the groom's home town.
Eva was eight years older than Tony, of which she said: "What's not to love? His energy, for one! But I think the best part is his innocent outlook on love and relationships. He's just more open to all the possibilities. I think women, for the most part, tend to be a little more guarded when it comes to relationships".
She had once said that once Desperate Housewives ends she is planning to move to France with her husband. But would there be hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet? "I do want to have a family at some point. I also want to adopt," she's revealed. "I don't feel pressure to have kids because I know that there are so many out there."
That plan was put on the backburner when their relationship entered a rocky patch - and, late in 2010, it was announced the couple were separating - amidst reports of infideltiy and Eva finding hundreds of messages from her husband's team mate's girlfriend on his phone.
"She is simply heartbroken," a friend of Eva's revealed. "She really wishes Tony the best. She just wants this whole situation to be as peaceful as it can be under the circumstances. He's a good person at heart, and she wants the best for him." "This is a difficult time right now for me and Eva," said Tony, confirming that the actress had filed for divorce.
In 2010, they filed for divorce on the grounds of "discord or conflict of personalities". The divorce was finalised in 2011.
But this wasn't the end of romance for Eva; in 2016 she married Mexican businessman José Antonio "Pepe" Bastón Patiño, president of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America. In 2018, Eva got her happily ever after as she gave birth to a son.
Life outside acting
Eva opened a Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood, Beso, and founding Eva's Heroes, a charity which helps disabled children.