Angélica Rivera

Angélica Rivera Hurtado (pronounced: [aŋˈxelika riˈβeɾa uɾˈtaðo]; born 2 August 1969) is a Mexican singer, model and telenovela actress. As the wife of Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, she is the First Lady of Mexico.

Rivera's work as an actress has included Alcanzar una estrella II (1991), La Dueña (1995), Ángela (1998), Sin Pecado Concebido (2001), Mariana de la Noche (2003) and Tequila De Maguey (2007), as well as the soap opera Destilando Amor(2007), responsible for her current nickname "La Gaviota". As a singer she was a member of the short-live fictional teen group Muñecos de Papel.

Rivera was born in the neighborhood of Azcapotzalco, Mexico City and has five sisters and a brother. When actress Verónica Castro was filming near where Rivera lived as a young woman, Castro and Rivera met and Castro suggested that she compete in "The Face of the Herald", a contest Rivera won in 1987.

Early acting and modeling

Rivera’s career began at the age of 17, when she won The Face of the Herald contest. She was a model in the video Ahora Te Puedes Marchar with Luis Miguel. She then filmed two TV/radio commercials, one for the United States and other for Japan, followed by the TNT video program hosted by Martha Aguayo.

In 1989, Rivera received the opportunity to play a small part in the soap opera Dulce Desafío. This part was followed by many others on shows such as Simplemente Maria, Mi Pequeña Soledad and La Picara Soñadora. In 1991 Rivera was selected to play the scheming and opportunistic Silvana in Alcanzar una estrella II. In 2003 she played a villain Marcia in the soap opera Mariana de la Noche, produced by Salvador Mejía.

In 2007, Rivera had the lead role in the successful and popular novela Destilando amor as Gaviota, a young girl from the country who went to the big city to look for a better life. As a result of her work on this soap, Rivera is frequently referred to in popular media as La Gaviota.

First Lady of Mexico

Rivera and her husband Enrique Peña Nieto

As the wife of Enrique Peña Nieto, who was elected President of Mexico in December 2012, Rivera is "First Lady of Mexico". She has also, from March 2013, been President of the Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, the National System for Integral Family Development, a public institution for the welfare of families in Mexico.

Public perception

Since 2010, Rivera has been an instrumental figure in the political campaign of her husband, Enrique Peña Nieto. Having been one of the most popular actresses in Mexico, she is seen by The Huffington Post as a person who engages in public with charm and good looks like a "Carla Bruni-type figure."

Rivera and Peng Liyuan, the First Lady of China, visit Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, a children's hospital in Mexico City.

House scandal

In November 2014, an article was published indicating that her $7 million house in Lomas de Chapultepec was registered under the name of a company affiliated with a business group that had received government contracts. The revelation about the potential conflict of interest in the acquisition of the house aggravated discontent about the government. Rivera released a video in which she detailed her income as a former soap opera actress, stating that she was selling the house and that the property was not under her name because she had not made the full payment yet. Mexicans citizens didn't believe her apology and started releasing, memes across social media.

Rivera in 2011.

On December 11, 1994, Rivera was married to producer José Alberto Castro, brother of Verónica Castro, with whom she has three daughters: Angélica Sofía (born 1996), Fernanda (born 1999) and Regina (born 2005). The couple divorced in 2008.

Rivera married Enrique Peña Nieto, then Governor of the State of Mexico, on November 27, 2010. Days later, she announced her retirement of her artistic career to focus on "this great responsibility by his side, dedicated to my home, to my children". From this marriage, she has three stepchildren.

On March 30, 2012, Peña Nieto began his campaign for the presidency, and Rivera accompanied him to the events across the country. She also published a series of videos which she called "What my eyes see, what my heart feels", where she documented the campaign from her point of view.

Films

Television

• Spain, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (06/06/2014).
• Spain, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III (19/06/2015).
• Demnark: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (13/04/2016)