Laura Valenzuela, the first presenter in Spain: her three lives on television and the great challenge of Eurovision

Laura Valenzuela She never had references on television because she was a pioneer. The first presenter in Spain, the most popular face of that incipient TVE which started at number 75 Paseo de la Habana in Madrid in 1956. It was there when Jose Luis Ozoreswhom he previously knew, warned him that the start of the broadcasts was imminent.

Also read: The actress and presenter Laura Valenzuela, mother of Lara Dibildos, dies at the age of 92

Valenzuela did not know what it was to be a presenter, but when she did the first test they gave her only one indication. “When a red light comes on, you talk,” she recalled in an interview. From that moment on, she became one of the most popular faces in Spain thanks to an endless number of programs that she presented on the public channel.

Laura Valenzuela has passed away. She is a pioneer of television in Spain, she began her career on TVE at the same time that it took off, in 1956. Her work remains safe, which we will always remember. Our tribute https://t.co/p8fshqcOHP #DEP pic.twitter.com/pjD1QUHPuB

— RTVE Archive (@ArchivoRTVE) March 17, 2023

For years they were the artistic couple of Joaquín Prat in programs like We count on you and above all, Galas on Saturday, the greatest success of this pair of presenters. She also did a tandem with Tony Leblanc in the program song 71. Those were the years in which Laura Valenzuela became a star and one of the most beloved characters for viewers. “People liked her, she was nice. And that’s 90%.”

The peak of Laura Valenzuela’s career came in 1969, when TVE chose her to present the festival of Eurovision from the Royal Theater of Madrid. It was the only time that Spain has hosted that event, thanks to the triumph of massiel the previous year, and Laura Valenzuela risked it knowing how to get out of one of the most uncomfortable moments that are remembered in this contest. Until then, the possibility of two countries tying on points was not being considered and there was no protocol to break the tie. Laura asked the person in charge of Eurovision about this possibility. “That’s not going to happen,” she replied. But bad luck meant that the presenter had to face a four-way tie: Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France.

Laura Valenzuela retired from television in 1971, when she married the producer Jose Luis Dibildos. She returned years later to start a second television career coinciding with the start of private channels in Spain. The presenter was chosen by Telecinco to present TV 5 tell me?next to Javier Basilio y Pigeon Lake. He then took over nap is over, Take a breath y The mornings of Tele 5con Jose Maria Inigo, in addition to My dear Spain (1994).

It still had a third television life. He started in 1996 when she returned to TVE to take charge of the mornings. Maria Teresa Campos He had just left the public channel after his brand new signing for Telecinco and TVE opted for Laura Valenzuela and her daughter Lara Dibildos. She returned in 2006 to present TVE’s 50th anniversary gala. Her last appearance before the cameras was in 2012 to collect an honorary award from the Academy of Television. Later, she disappeared from the spotlight.