Isabel Preysler

María Isabel Preysler Arrastía (born February 18, 1951) is a Spanish and Filipino socialite and television host. She is the mother of singers Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr., journalist Chábeli Iglesias, Tamara Falcó, 6th Marchioness of Griñón, and Ana Boyer Preysler.

Early life

Preysler was born in Manila, Philippines, the third of six children to a wealthy family of Iberian Spanish and native Filipino ancestries. She attended the Assumption Convent (now Assumption College San Lorenzo), a private Roman Catholic school. Her father, Carlos Preysler y Pérez de Tagle, was the executive director of Philippine Air Lines (now Philippine Airlines) and one of the board of directors of the Banco Español de Manila (now Bank of the Philippine Islands), while her mother, María Beatriz Arrastía y Reinares, was the owner of a real estate company in Manila. She is the niece of actress Neile Adams, who is her mother's half-sister. She is also the first cousin once removed of American actor Steven R. McQueen, who is Neile's grandson.

Career

During her youth, Preysler was a model who participated in beauty pageants and charity events for the Sheraton Hotels and Resorts in Manila and went on to win titles in several events. At the age of 16, she immigrated to Madrid, to live with her uncle and aunt and to attend Mary Ward College, an Irish Catholic university in Spain, where she studied accounting.