Anahí

Acting career

Anahí was just two years old when she appeared on the Mexican children's show Chiquilladas, launching her career. She later acted in films like Nacidos para Morir and Había Una Vez Una Estrella, winning an Ariel Award for Best Child Actress for the latter in 1989. Her television work included telenovelas such as Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real, Hora Marcada, Vivo por Elena, La Telaraña, and El diario de Daniela. In 2001, she played the fourteen-year-old Jovanna Luna on Primer Amor, a teen soap that ranked among the highest-rated in its time slot.

The next year, she took the role of Jessica in Clase 406, where she worked with Alfonso Herrera, Dulce María, and Christian Chávez—future members of the band RBD. Her big break came in 2004 when she portrayed Mia Colucci, a wealthy popular girl, on Rebelde, a Mexican version of the Argentine series Rebelde Way.

That show became an international hit, running for over 440 episodes through 2006. In 2011, after a four-year break from television, Anahí accepted the lead role in Dos Hogares, a telenovela by Emilio Larrosa. Filming started in April 2011 and wrapped in January 2012, with the series airing from June 2011 to January 2012.

Music career

In 1993, at age ten, Anahí released her eponymous debut LP, which is not considered an official album and had no singles. Her second album, ¿Hoy Es Mañana?, included the singles "Corazón de Bombón", "Por Volverte a Ver", and "Descontrolándote". She later recorded Anclado En Mi Corazón and Baby Blue. The success of Rebelde launched RBD, which released nine studio albums in Spanish, Portuguese and English, sold over 20 million albums worldwide and 17 million digital downloads, and toured across South America, North America, Central America and Europe.

In 2006, Anahí re-released Baby Blue as Una Rebelde en Solitario, and a compilation titled Antes de Ser Rebelde followed in 2007. After RBD split in 2008, she collaborated with Tiziano Ferro and Dulce María on "El Regalo Más Grande". In 2009, she debuted her solo single "Mi Delirio" at Premios Juventud and released the album Mi Delirio, which was certified Gold in Brazil. The Mi Delirio World Tour was the seventh most profitable tour of 2010 according to Billboard, with ten concerts attended by over 35,000 people.

First Lady of Chiapas

Anahí married Manuel Velasco Coello, the Governor of Chiapas, on 25 April 2015. Although her marriage to the sitting governor would typically make her head of the Chiapas chapter of the National System for Integral Family Development, that position had already been granted to Leticia Coello, the governor's mother, in 2012. She faced criticism on social media for wearing a dress costing the state 120,000 Mexican pesos during the 2015 Cry of Dolores celebrations, as Chiapas is the poorest state in the union.

Personal life

In the early 2000s, Anahí struggled with anorexia nervosa and bulimia, weighing approximately 75 pounds at her lowest. She spent time in five treatment centers and, after returning from a family vacation in 2001, was hospitalized when her heart stopped for eight seconds. She recovered and became a vocal spokesperson against eating disorders in Mexico, launching a campaign with Televisa in 2008. In 2006, the tax administration of Mexico froze four of her bank accounts due to a tax fraud investigation; she regained access to them in 2008 after taking the issue to court.

In 2007, Barbie dolls of Anahí, Dulce Maria, and Maite Perroni were released based on their Rebelde characters. People en Español named her one of their "50 Most Beautiful" in 2010. On 11 March 2011, doctors discovered a deviated septum was depriving her brain of oxygen, causing several ailments including a heart attack; she underwent a successful operation. On 23 March 2011, she became spokeswoman for Snickers in Latin America, sparking controversy when the National Council to Prevent Discrimination and the National Institute of Women deemed the commercial sexist; Anahí defended the campaign, and Effem Mexico disagreed with the sexism complaints.

Did You Know?

• Anahí's father, Enrique Puente López, was a former singer who later became a television producer.
• She has an older sister, television personality Marichelo Puente, and an older half-sister, Diana Puente Hidalgo.
• Before starring in Rebelde, Anahí had coincidentally appeared in Ángeles Sin Paraíso with Felipe Colombo, star of the original Rebelde Way.