March 28, 2024

Virginia Donald

It is not her marriage to a top network executive that brought Virginia Donald into the limelight. She has been in limelight before her marriage to the former chief and managing editor of Fox News, Shepard Smith. However, we cannot deny that her marriage to the exec also blew up her popularity. By the way, her profession as a broadcast journalist also meant that her face would be one of the recognizable in the industry.

It may interest you to know that before Donald made it in the broadcast industry, she had given trials to acting. Upon the realization that she may not make it big in the movie industry, she decided to try out journalism. Guess what? It paid off. In this article, we will walk you through her journey as a journalist and her relationship with Shepard Smith, even though they are no longer together. 

Quick Facts About Virginia Donald

  • Full Name: Virginia Donald
  • Date of Birth: 1966
  • Place of birth: Mississippi, USA
  • Nationality: American
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Height: 5ft 4 inches
  • Weight: 59kg
  • Marital status: Divorced
  • Profession: TV personality
  • Net Worth: $2 million

Early Life of Virginia Donald

The exact date of birth of Virginia is still a conundrum. By the way, we do not blame her for that. Every individual wants what’s best for them in terms of privacy. While we may not know the exact date, we know Virginia Donald was born in 1966 in Mississippi, USA. Who her parents and siblings are, are not available to the media. 

However, she attended Meek School for her primary education before proceeding to the University of Mississippi to study Journalism and Acting. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1988. According to several reports, she was considered to be one of the best students in her faculty all through her stay in college. It was at this university she met Shepard Smith who at the time had no idea she was going to marry him. 

Virginia Donald’s Career

Early in her budding career, Virginia has shots to some auditions. While she was enthusiastic about making it big in the movie industry, it seemed she wasn’t the ideal fit for roles according to producers with who she had auditioned. Interestingly, she didn’t give up even with several rejections. 

After her marriage to Shepard Smith, things slowed down a bit professionally for her. She became a housewife and laid aside her dream of becoming a hotshot in the entertainment industry. While her popularity grew as the wife of the famous TV anchor Shepard Smith, she wasn’t quite comfortable with her professional growth. Seeing that she wanted to be on the screen so bad, she filed for a divorce and from then her career kicked off. 

She started from social media where she gave takes on social issues. Not long after, she got roles in a few TV commercials and short movies. Her dreams began to take shape and in no time, some of the best US magazines approached her to write for them.

Who is Shepard Smith, Virginia Donald ex-husband?

Shepard Smith joined Fox News as a rookie assignment reporter. With hard work and skill, he became a senior correspondent. Ever since then, he has moved from one pedestal to another. His broadcast career has seen him anchor news for NBC, CNBC. 

Shepard Smith was born on January 14, 1964, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He was born to Dora Ellen Anderson, an English teacher and a cotton merchant, David Shepard Smith. He had his high school education at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs. Unfortunately, his parents separated on his completion of high school. He then chose to follow his mother to Florida. 

His passion for Journalism saw him pursue a career in the profession. But, first, he needed to study Journalism at the University of Mississippi. He didn’t complete the course as he took up a job as a reporter in Panama City, Florida to make ends meet.

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 Shepard Smith career

Smith started out at local television WJHG-TV in Panama City Beach, Florida. After this Smith joined Fox News when it was just starting up in 1996. One of his popular works was his reportage on the death of Princess Diana in 1997. His other works include President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial 1998, the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre, Hurricane Katrina amongst others. 

His excellence saw him voted as number three among the top five U.S cable news anchors for his show The Fox Report With Shepard Smith. He would later continue working for Fox News in several capacities. On September 12, 2013, Smith became the managing editor of Fox News Breaking news division. However, after six years, he announced that he was leaving the network. 

It was easy for other networks to snap him up due to his impressive CV. CNBC snapped him up and he became their chief general news anchor and chief general breaking news anchor. 

Virginia Donald and Shepard Smith

Virginia Donald and Smith married in 1987 after meeting at the University of Mississippi. They dated for a while before there was a need to tie the knot. However, in 1993, the couple split with no children. In 2017, Smith came out of the closet to say he was gay and had been in a relationship with his long-time boyfriend, Giovanni Grazzano. For Donald, there is no information on if she had moved on and married or found a new partner. 

Virginia Donald Net Worth

According to various sources, Virginia Donald is worth $2 million. This is from her largely successful TV personality career. Over the years, Donald has carved a name for herself and is one of the respected journalists out there. 

Conclusion

Virginia Donald remains committed to her career and has often stressed that it is all that matters to her. We wish her all the best moving forward