Victoria Silvstedt: Playboy Playmate to TV Host
Victoria Silvstedt was on track for competitive alpine skiing, good enough to place fourth at Sweden’s national youth championships, until a shoulder injury at sixteen ended that path. What replaced it wasn’t her own idea. Her mother and sister quietly entered her into the Miss Sweden pageant using photos she didn’t know they’d sent. She went on to represent Sweden at Miss World, get scouted by a Paris modeling agency, and eventually became one of the most recognized Playboy Playmates of the 1990s. More than three decades later, she is still working, most recently returning to Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen in 2025.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Karin Victoria Silvstedt |
| Born | September 19, 1974, Skelleftehamn, Sweden |
| Age | 52 (as of September 2026) |
| Occupation | Model, television host, actress, singer |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10.5 in) |
| Known for | Playboy Playmate of the Year 1997; French and Italian Wheel of Fortune host |
| Nationality | Swedish |
Who Is Victoria Silvstedt?
Silvstedt is a Swedish model, television host, actress and occasional singer whose career has spanned more than 30 years across Sweden, France, Italy and the United States. She first reached international attention through Playboy magazine in the mid-1990s, then built a long second career hosting European television, most notably the French and Italian versions of Wheel of Fortune for several years.
Early Life and Background
Silvstedt was born Karin Victoria Silvstedt in Skelleftehamn, Sweden, and grew up in Bollnas in a family of five, with one older sister and one younger brother. Her father captained a local ski team, and she started alpine skiing at age five, competing seriously enough to place fourth in the giant slalom at the Swedish national youth championships in 1989, an event won by future Olympic medalist Pernilla Wiberg. A shoulder injury during competition ended her skiing career at sixteen.
A few years later, her mother and sister submitted photos of her to the Miss Sweden pageant without her knowledge. She competed, was selected to represent Sweden at Miss World 1993 in Sun City, South Africa, and reached the competition’s top 10. A modeling agent she met there signed her to a Paris agency, launching her modeling career.
Career
Silvstedt modeled for Chanel, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy and Valentino before Hugh Hefner invited her to shoot for Playboy in Los Angeles. She became the magazine’s December 1996 Playmate of the Month and was named 1997 Playmate of the Year, a title that made her a household name well beyond the modeling world. She later became the face of Guess?, succeeding Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith in that role, and has appeared on more than 500 magazine covers over her career, including FHM, GQ, Glamour and Vanity Fair.
Acting followed modeling. She appeared in the U.S. series Malibu, CA and Melrose Place, and in Hollywood comedies including BASEketball, Out Cold and Boat Trip. In Italy, she took on more substantial dramatic roles, including playing Kim Novak in the film Un maresciallo in gondola. She released a Eurodance album, Girl on the Run, in 1999, which went gold in Sweden.
Television hosting became her longest-running line of work. She hosted Candid Camera on CBS, Eurotrash on Channel 4 and Wild On! on E!, and in 2006 took over as host of the French and Italian versions of Wheel of Fortune, La Roue de la Fortune and La Ruota della Fortuna, splitting her time between Paris and Rome for several years until the Italian version ended in 2009. Her own reality series, Victoria Silvstedt: My Perfect Life, ran on E! from 2008 and was later broadcast internationally.
Major Work and Notable Projects
- Playboy Playmate of the Year (1997): The title that made her internationally known, following her December 1996 Playmate of the Month appearance.
- La Roue de la Fortune / La Ruota della Fortuna (2006 to 2011/2009): Long-running hosting role on the French and Italian editions of Wheel of Fortune.
- Victoria Silvstedt: My Perfect Life (2008, E!): Her own reality series, later syndicated across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
- Very Victoria Silvstedt: A lingerie line she launched at London Fashion Week in 2006, later brought to retail through a partnership with the Marie Meili brand in 2013.
Current Projects and Latest Updates
Silvstedt returned to music in 2025, competing in Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s televised song competition that selects the country’s Eurovision entry, with the song “Love It!”, which reached number 54 on the Swedish singles chart. She has continued modeling and brand work into 2026 and remains a regular presence at European events including the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix.
Social Media Stats
| X (Twitter) | IMDb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| @victoriasilvstedt | Victoria Silvstedt | @vicsilvstedt | IMDb Profile |
| Approximately 1 million followers, as displayed on the profile | Approximately 55,000 followers; the page describes itself as her only official Facebook page | Approximately 120,000 followers | Actress, producer, soundtrack credits |
Social media figures are approximate and may change. Third-party analytics tools show a lower Instagram estimate (around 833,000) than the count displayed on the profile itself; the profile’s own displayed figure is used here.
Personal Life
Silvstedt met American broadcaster Chris Wragge in 1999, when he interviewed her for Entertainment Tonight. They married in June 2000. According to her Wikipedia entry, citing a 2017 report, they divorced in 2009. A number of celebrity biography sites give an earlier divorce date of 2006 or 2007 instead; Belloria could not independently confirm which date is correct, and readers should treat the exact year as unsettled.
Several entertainment photo agencies and lifestyle sites have described her as being in a relationship with Swiss businessman Maurice Dabbah, with paparazzi photos of the two together dating back to at least 2022 and 2023. However, sourcing on this relationship is thin and inconsistent: some sites report the relationship beginning in 2011 and continuing to the present, while at least one other source gives a conflicting and overlapping timeline and claims she is currently single. None of this is confirmed on Silvstedt’s own official channels, and Belloria is flagging the conflict rather than presenting either version as settled fact. She has no children.
Net Worth
Public estimates put Silvstedt’s net worth in the range of roughly $15 million to €15 million, but these figures come from celebrity net-worth aggregator sites rather than any audited or independently verified source, and there is no confirmed figure. Her income is generally attributed to modeling, television hosting fees, and brand and beverage partnerships, including a prosecco line associated with her name.
Interesting Facts About Victoria Silvstedt
- In the early 1990s, before either woman was famous, she was Melania Trump’s roommate in Paris while both were working as models.
- She speaks four languages: Swedish, English, French and Italian.
- As a child she wanted to be a veterinarian and was drawn to horseback riding, alongside her competitive skiing.
- She is a practicing Christian and has said in interviews that she believes her late mother sends her guardian angels.
- Before modeling, she placed fourth nationally in youth alpine skiing, in the same event future Olympic medalist Pernilla Wiberg won.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Victoria Silvstedt still working?
Yes. She continues modeling and public appearances and returned to music in 2025 with an entry in Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s Eurovision selection show.
What is Victoria Silvstedt best known for?
Being named Playboy’s 1997 Playmate of the Year, and for hosting the French and Italian versions of Wheel of Fortune through the late 2000s.
Was Victoria Silvstedt married?
Yes, to American broadcaster Chris Wragge, from June 2000 until a divorce reported as either 2009 or, by some other sources, 2006/2007. She has no children.
Where does Victoria Silvstedt live now?
She is closely associated with Monaco and the south of France, where she is a regular presence at events like the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival.
How old is Victoria Silvstedt?
She was born on September 19, 1974, making her 52 years old as of September 2026.
How tall is Victoria Silvstedt?
She is 1.79 m (5 ft 10.5 in) tall.
What is Victoria Silvstedt’s estimated net worth?
Public estimates put it in the range of roughly $15 million to €15 million, though this comes from unaudited celebrity net-worth sites rather than any independently verified source.
Is Victoria Silvstedt still modeling?
Yes. She has continued modeling and brand work into 2026, alongside television appearances and her 2025 return to music.
What is Victoria Silvstedt’s nationality?
She is Swedish, born in Skelleftehamn in northern Sweden.
What films has Victoria Silvstedt been in?
Her film and TV credits include Melrose Place, BASEketball, Out Cold, Boat Trip and the French film Heartbreaker, alongside Italian roles such as playing Kim Novak in Un maresciallo in gondola.