Trivia

Had a six-year romance with Brazilian soccer legend Pelé (1980-1986); they met a modeling assignment that paired them for a magazine cover.

Considered ending her career after a fire generated by a short circuit interrupted a shoot of the Brazilian version of her Spanish show Xuxa Park (1994). Some of the children present were injured, but Xuxa escaped unharmed.

In the 1980s, shortly after her work for children started, Pelé reportedly collected every sensual photograph that he found of hers from her time as a model and gave them to Xuxa, mentioning that she should be careful with her new career.

Has stated in interviews that, after she met Michael Jackson, he proposed to her and his manager actually wanted her to carry his children; she was uncomfortable and declined.

Her nickname Xuxa is pronounced "Shoo-sha".

Caused controversy after changing the tone of her shows from a more mature genre of Xuxa Park (1994) and _Planeta Xuxa (1997)_ to a more educational premise focusing on a younger audience with _Xuxa no Mundo da Imaginação (2002)_.

Inspired by educative videos such as The Wiggles (1993) to create and produce her "Xuxa Só Para Baixinhos" series. Many songs in the first videos are Brazilian Portuguese versions of Wiggles songs.

Is allergic to meat and fish products.

Dated racecar driver Ayrton Senna, who died in a car wreck in Italy during a 1994 race.

Once went out with John F. Kennedy. Jr.

Although she isn't a professional singer, four of her albums have placed among the best-selling in Brazil; "Xou da Xuxa 3" got into the Guinness Book as the number one seller of all time in Brazil.

Her nickname "Xuxa" was given by her brother Bladimir; she added this name to her birth certificate in 1998.

Was inspired for her trademark spaceship introduced in Xou da Xuxa (1988) from Wilson Viana's character "Capitão AZA". The ship's design came from Penelope Pitstop's vehicle in Wacky Races (1968). Both she and Vianna have roles in The Tramps and the Wizard of Oróz (1984) which was filmed prior to her career breakthrough in "Xou da Xuxa".

On the night of her Rede Record show "Xuxa Meneghel"'s premiere, both 'Patricia Abravanel' and Danilo Gentili spoofed Xou da Xuxa (1988) in their respective shows. A replica of the spacecraft was constructed for Abravanel's performance, in which she performed Xuxa's songs herself.

Has dual citizenship in both Brazil and Italy; her great-grandfather was from the town of Imer in the autonomous province of Trento in Italy.

Met her only daughter's father Luciano Szafir during a photoshoot for a magazine. She saw photos featuring Luma de Oliveira with male models and requested her takes to be similar to hers, for which Szafir was then brought in.

She posed for Playboy in December 1982.

Hosts two shows "Xuxa Park" and "Planeta Xuxa". (November 2000)

Was nearly a victim of a 1991 kidnapping at the Rede Globo studio where Xou da Xuxa (1988) was filmed; the gang had also planned to abduct Letícia Spiller.

Gave birth to daughter Sasha Meneghel in 1998. The first 10 minutes of Rede Globo's Jornal Nacional (1969) ("National News") were dedicated to the girl's birth.

Sparked a trend with other Brazilian children's TV hosts and shows that referenced much of her style and Xou da Xuxa (1988) itself, such as Angélica, Mara Maravilha, Mariane Dombrova and Patrícia Nogueira (as Pat Beijo). Angélica and Nogueira assumed at their respective times the show Xuxa presented before moving to Rede Globo, Clube da Criança (1983).

Siblings: Solange, Mara, Cirano, and Bladimir.

She won the 2001 Latin Grammy Awards of Best Album for Children for Xuxa Só Para Baixinhos (2000). The project focused on a much younger audience and caused controversy among her crew and friends.

Creative differences between her and close friend and manager Marlene Mattos led to their break-up in 2002. Marlene is the godmother of Xuxa's only daughter, Sasha Meneghel.

Inspired herself in both Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) for her Rede Record program "Xuxa Meneghel".

Was first invited to host the children's series Clube da Criança (1983) by television director Maurício Sherman who compared her to Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, and the character of Peter Pan.

Considered Brazil's answer to Madonna.

Had never done a live television show prior to Xuxa Meneghel (2015).

Mother of Sasha Meneghel

Mother: Alda. Father: Luiz Floriano Meneghel.

The father of her only child (Sasha) is actor and former model Luciano Szafir.

As a model, appeared in on the cover Manchete magazines (Rede Manchete was the network where Xuxa debuted as a TV host), often alongside Luiza Brunet with whom she is good friends to this day.

Xuxa was the first Brazilian to be on Forbes Magazine's 40 Richest Artists list in 1991; she placed 37th.

She is with her TV show, "TV Xuxa". (October 2005)

Making her TV show, Xuxa no Munda da Imaginação. (December 2003)

She is with her TV show, "Xuxa no Mundo da Imaginação" and she produces a new movie each year featuring her and other Brazilian actors and actresses. (June 2004)

After 11 different TV programs in 29 years, and several months of rumors, she left Globo TV and moved to Record TV, signing a contract with the new channel live on March 5, 2015.

Pulled Rede Globo's prominent director Mariozinho Vaz from that channel to head her Record TV show. Andrezza Cruz, her former "paquita" from Xuxa Park (1994) and a Rede Globo director was also invited, but respectfully declined.

Was personally invited in the 1990s by SBT's (Rede Globo's former main rival TV channel) owner and host Silvio Santos, who knocked on her door with a flower bouquet, to "move house" and go to SBT. Her career being at the height in Rede Globo, she refused but reportedly found it "cute".

Brazilian funk performer MC Marcinho revealed that his hit single "Glamurosa" ("Glamurous Woman") is actually about her in retribution to taking Brazilian funk to mainstream media in the 1990s. "I became nationally known because of Xuxa who featured many funk performers in her shows Xuxa Park (1994) and Planeta Xuxa (1997)". Xuxa herself released songs in Brazilian funk in the late 1990s, reportedly much to her then-manager and former close friend Marlene Mattos's disapproval.

Is a vegan activist.

Uncredited for the story and script of Lua de Cristal (1990), her most successful movie. The famous food-fight sequence, as well as Michael Sullivan's cameo and character's name (Saliva, a pun with his surname, also meaning "saliva" in Brazilian Portuguese) were her ideas.

At the time of its release, many thought that her most successful movie Lua de Cristal (1990) was her actual biography. The movie's plot is actually an original idea writer Patricya Travassos had based on fairy tales and is only loosely based on aspects of Xuxa's life and personality.

Her favorite movie is The Notebook (2004). Her favorite movie of her own is Lua de Cristal (1990).

Released her memoir "Memórias" ("memories") in September 2020, written while in social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Singer Rita Lee was the first to read it, and wrote its foreword. The book was published by Globo Livros (the publishing division of her longtime network Globo TV) while Xuxa was still under contract with Record TV.

Convinced Ivete Sangalo to stop eating meat.

Her publicist is Tatiana Maranhão, a former Paquita from Xou da Xuxa (1988).

Filmed the El show de Xuxa (1991) series finale while suffering severe back and neck pains from a herniated disc. The finale was shot without her Paquitas or children on stage. At the end of filming, her frenzied audience broke into the stage and reportedly took pieces from the set. Xuxa can be heard screaming repeatedly during the credits, in her natural Brazilian Portuguese, "I'm fine!".

Revealed that she first met Silvio Santos when she attended his game show "Cidade Contra Cidade" with Sergio Mallandro, in the mid-1980s. Santos reportedly offered Mallandro his own TV show on the spot, but refused to cast Xuxa because he didn't like her name. He asked her repeatedly what her "real name" was, and she insisted on "Xuxa". Years later and at the peak of her career, Santos knocked on her door with flowers and asked her to change networks.

Was initially reluctant to star in Xuxa, with productions for children already being her focus.