Vanessa Joy Minnillo was born on November 9, 1980, at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, where her father, Vincent Charles Minnillo, was a crew member on an Air Force aircraft at the time. Her father, who has since retired, is American, born in Ohio, and has mixed ancestry, being of half Italian, one quarter Russian-Jewish, and one quarter Irish descent. Her mother, Helen Ramos Bercero, is a Filipina, whom her father met while based in the Philippines.
Vanessa's family, including her older brother Vincent, lived in various places such as California, Nevada, Florida, Germany, and Japan, before settling down in Charleston, South Carolina. During this time, she attended seven different schools, participated in cheerleading, and volunteered for local charities.
In 1986, her parents divorced, and her mother was awarded custody of both children. Vanessa only saw her father on weekends until her mother remarried and the family moved to Turkey. However, they were forced to evacuate due to the Gulf War in 1990, and Vanessa's mother never returned, leaving her to live with her father and his new wife, Donna, whom she now considers her "best friend".
Vanessa's life took a new turn when she began competing in beauty pageants. In 1996, she won the Miss South Carolina Teen USA title, and two years later, she competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant, winning the crown once again. After handing over her title, she focused on college, acting, and modeling, and was a finalist for hosting the show "Wild On..." on E!.
In her personal life, Vanessa began dating singer Nick Lachey in 2006 and married him in 2011. The couple has three children together.
