Toñi Moreno's El Hormiguero debut: from an Instagram bet to a near-drowning
The Canal Sur presenter made her first appearance on Antena 3's El Hormiguero on June 25, recounting a pact with Paz Padilla to undress if she reaches one million followers and the day she nearly drowned during a live broadcast.
Toñi Moreno visited Pablo Motos's El Hormiguero for the first time on Thursday 25 June. Over the course of the evening she discussed her career, a risky bet with Paz Padilla, and two of the most alarming moments in her television life.
The bet with Paz Padilla
Moreno had made a pact during Canal Sur's El hilo verde: if her Instagram account hit one million followers, she would post nude photos. Before the show she had just over 940,000 followers, and the original announcement had brought in only ten new ones.
Pablo Motos proposed helping her live, but Moreno warned against it, joking that she would end up undressing in the studio. By the end of the broadcast her count had climbed to 985,000, still 15,000 short of the target.There's no interest in this country in seeing me naked.
- Before show
- 940000 followers
- End of show
- 985000 followers
Humble beginnings and a harsh mentor
Moreno grew up in a family of limited means in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Her father worked in the fields and her mother held three jobs to buy school books. She started at the local television station aged 14, so young that her father had to sign her first contract. She earned the nickname "Doña Perdón" because she kept saying "perdón" on air. Later, while trying to break into national television, she faced blunt rejection from the legendary Jesús Hermida.
Moreno said Hermida repeated that verdict three times before she eventually found work on Andalucía directo in 1998.Miss, we've already told you you're not good.
The near-drowning in Estepona
One assignment for Andalucía directo took her to a water park in Estepona that boasted the world's largest slide. Moreno was no swimmer ("I learned to swim at 27") but agreed to ride the slide live on air. The cameraman had technical problems from the wind, and when she hit the pool her hair and T-shirt wrapped around her.
Relax, you'll float, I thought, but I was drowning alive. When I surfaced and saw the edge of the pool, I started doggy-paddling. The longest 10 seconds of my life.
Motherhood and business
Moreno also spoke about being a single mother and her extreme squeamishness. She admitted she has never changed her daughter's nappy and relies on a network of helpers whenever a nappy needs attention. Outside television, she runs a publicity and representation agency called Con Alma Spain.
