'Wheel of Fortune' Star Vanna White Marries John Donaldson After Over a Decade Together: 'Surprise!'

The 'Wheel of Fortune' icon, 68, announced the private ceremony on Instagram Wednesday, saying the couple "wanted to make it official."

CELEBRITY WHEEL OF FORTUNE - Phil Rosenthal, Carla Hall and Jet Tila Hosted by pop-culture legends Pat Sajak and Vanna White, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune takes a star-studded spin on Americas Game® by welcoming celebrities to spin the worlds most famous Wheel and solve puzzles for a chance to win more than one million dollars. All of the money won by the celebrity contestants will go to a charity of their choice, SUNDAY, OCT. 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images

Vanna White and John Donaldson are officially married. The Wheel of Fortune star, 68, announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday, January 21, sharing photos from their private wedding ceremony.

"Surprise! We got married!" White captioned the post. "John and I have been in love for more than a decade, and a little while back, we wanted to make it official in a private ceremony. We're excited to share this new, joyful chapter in our lives with all of you! Love, Vanna and John."

White and Donaldson first met in 2012 when a mutual friend brought the real estate developer to one of her barbecues. "I remember looking at him and thinking, 'He's really cute,'" White told People in 2019. "We ended up talking for a long time that night." She added at the time, "It just works. He lets me be me, I let him be him ... There is no drama in our relationship."

In October 2023, White explained why the couple hadn't married despite their long relationship. "I mean, we've been together 12 years, and I feel like we are married," she told People. "Do we have to get married? No, because we feel comfortable in our relationship. You know what I mean? I know that he's the one. He knows I'm the one." White said the couple didn't really talk about marriage but added, "You never know. I mean, I guess we could, but in my eyes and his eyes, we are married."

The wedding photos showed White in a white beaded gown being carried by her new husband. Fans and friends flooded the comments section with congratulations, including Maggie Sajak, daughter of longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.

White was previously married to George Santo Pietro from 1990 to 2002, and the former couple share two adult children, son Nicholas Santo Pietro and daughter Giovanna Santo Pietro.

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