Virginia Donald: Everything You Should Know About Shepard Smith’s Ex-Wife

Virginia Donald is a popular socialite and TV personality best known as the ex-wife of former American broadcast journalist Shepard Smith (who is currently in a relationship with his long-time boyfriend, Giovanni Graziano). Please keep reading to learn more about Virginia Donald such as her age, Wiki, Shepard Smith, David Shepard Smith, Sr, Giovanni Graziano, and more.

 

Virginia Donald Wiki

As mentioned, Virginia Donald is the former spouse of former American broadcast journalist Shepard Smith. The two were married from 1987 to 1993.

 

Virginia Donald Age

She was born in 1966, in Mississippi, United States of America. As of 2023, she turned 57 years old. Virginia Donald is American by nationality and holds white ethnicity.

She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 59 kg, with an adorable petite figure, lovely voice, beautiful brown eyes, and blonde hair.

 

The Education and Early Life of Virginia Donald

As mentioned earlier, the TV broadcaster’s ex-wife was born and raised in Mississippi by her caring parents. At the time, her parents both worked in a high school. After finishing elementary school, young Virginia Donald happened to attend and graduate from the same school her parents worked at.

In 1988, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism and Acting. The university still remembers Virginia Donald as one of the brightest and sweetest students in her faculty.

According to Virginia, “Mississippians and Southerners look you in the eye.” She added, “They are always dressed in khakis and starched white shirts, and everybody does what everybody else does and is usually drunk by 10 p.m.”

The relationship between Virginia Donald and Shepard Smith started when both of them were students at the university.

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Her Career

Her career kicked off after her divorce from her ex-husband, Shepard Smith. She tried her hands at acting and various aspects of the entertainment industry but had little to no success. She even played several cameo parts in short movies and small roles in TV commercials.

For years now, Virginia Donald has been writing columns for various US blogs and magazines and has also been working as a journalist.

With the way the world has gone digital, she now happens to be a social media personality. Virginia has lots of followers on several social media platforms.

 

Virginia Donald and Shepard Smith

The two met while they were classmates back at the Meek School of Journalism and Acting at the University of Mississippi. Virginia Donald and Shepard Smith began dating in 1986, and shortly after tied the knot in 1987.

They were married for seven years without having any children and finally broke up with a divorce in 1993. In-depth reason or any reason at all was given for their sudden divorce.

Until 2002, when the truth finally came out that Shepard Smith was having a steamy affair with his male colleague at Fox News, Giovanni Graziano. He also turned out to be his long-time boyfriend.

Shepard Smith publicly announced that he was gay in 2017. The news anchor had also expressed his initial fears about coming out of the closet, saying, “A. You’re going to hell for it. B. You’ll never have any friends again. C. What are you going to tell your family? And by the way, you’re on television on the craziest conservative network on Earth,” said Smith.

Virginia Donald has not made any comments regarding her ex-husband’s sexuality. But the facts remain that Shepard has feelings for men and is in a romantic relationship with Giovanni Graziano.

And we can’t help but wonder if their marriage was based on true love or societal pressure.

 

Virginia’s Interests and Hobbies

She is known to be a lover of pets and even has a pet dog. And also, a lover of fashion who follows and stays up to date with the latest worldly trends. She is also a shopaholic who is said to post her favorite clothing choices on social media.

Virginia Donald loves to travel as well, she has visited several places and states around the United States of America,. But she hasn’t been to Europe just yet.

Shepard’s ex-wife is also a fan of movies and TV. She especially loves animated ones such as “Despicable Me” and “Mary and Max”. She is known to go see plays at the theatre, and her favorite actors are Emma Watson and Russell Crowe.

Virginia is also a fan of Studio Ghibli, their “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” movies to be specific.

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Virginia Donald Net Worth

She is said to have an estimated net worth of around $2 million. Most of her wealth and fortune came from being a journalist and writing articles for big giant magazines and blogs. And also the short movie roles and TV commercials she has done in the past.

Not forgetting being married to her former husband and news anchor, Shepard Smith. Even though, we are not sure if she got some fortune from her divorce settlement or if there was any in the first place.

 

Photos of Virginia Donald

No photos of Virginia Donald can be found on the internet as the former actress faded into oblivion following her divorce from her ex-husband.

 

Shepard Smith

He was born on January 14th, 1964 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States of America. His mother was Dora Ellen Anderson, an English teacher, while his father was David Shepard Smith Sr., a cotton merchant.

Shepard is currently in a relationship with Giovanni Graziano.

He has a brother named Benton Smith and his nationality is American. Smith falls under the Capricorn zodiac sign. As a child, he went to a preparatory school called Christian college prep school Marshall Academy.

His parents divorced after he graduated from high school, and his mother was on her way to Florida. Young Shepard Smith moved to Florida also being right by his mother’s side.

He enrolled himself at the University of Mississippi where he studied journalism. But he dropped out just two credits short of earning his degree.

He left school to start his career working as a reporter in Florida. As faith would have it, on May 10, 2008, Shepard gave the 155th commencement address for his former University.

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His Career in Journalism

Smith kicked off his career working in television with WJHG-TV in Panama City Beach, Florida.

He was given the position of correspondent after reporting jobs at WSVN in Miami, WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, and WCPX-TV (now WKMG-TV) in Orlando.

He was lucky enough to be a part of Fox News right when it started in 1996. This was after he worked as a correspondent for News Edge, a Fox affiliate service.

When he was at Fox News, the news anchor reported a lot of high-profile stories such as President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial, the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the 2001 execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

He even got his own show called The Fox Report with Shepard Smith, which was ranked third among the top five U.S. cable news programs in 2003.

He even came second being the most-trusted news anchor on both network and cable news. This position happened to be a tie with Dan Rather and Peter Jennings.

He went ahead to sign a three-year contract deal on September 12, 2013, which earned him $7-$8 million per annum. The contract was renewed yet again by Fox for another three years. This occurred on October 26, 2010.

Three years later, Shepard was promoted to managing director of the Fox News breaking news division. This happened to be a much more active role that took place behind the scenes.

He also became the host of yet another show of his titled Shepard Smith Reporting.

 

At some point in November 2017, the news anchor upset a lot of Fox News viewers when he debunked unsubstantiated claims that the Obama administration approved a deal allowing a Russian company to buy a Canadian company with mining interests in the US in exchange for donations to the Clinton Foundation.

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His reporting caused some disagreements between him and his colleague and Fox News prime time host, Sean Hannity, who happened to support the claim against Hillary Clinton.

 

An unusual turn of events happened on October 11, 2019, when he shocked his colleagues and viewers that he would be leaving Fox News. He made this announcement on Shepard Smith Reporting.

His Appearance in Films

Over the years, he has been spotted in some movie projects. He was featured in the 1997 film Volcano, where he played himself.

He was also spotted in the documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11, where footage of him anchoring on Fox News during the opening moments of the March 2003 Iraq War was used. Smith was also spotted in the movie, Bombshell.

 

Shepard Smith Net Worth and Salary

While he was working at Fox News for 23 years, he signed several contracts and contract renewals which earned him an annual salary of $7 and $8 million. He is said to have an estimated net worth of $25 million.

 

Shepard Smith Virginia Donald

Smith and Donald tied the knot in 1987. The two parted ways with a divorce in 1993. They never had children together.

 

Giovanni Graziano, Shepard Smith Husband

Giovanni “Gio” Graziano is the long-time boyfriend of Shepard Smith, they both have been dating since 2013. As of 2023, he is 36 years old, and he happens to be a Business Producer at Fox.

Giovanni Graziano went to Penn State University in 2005 to study broadcast journalism. He graduated in 2008.

Smith’s current partner has worked several positions at Fox News. He first started as an intern in 2008. After which he became Shepard Smith’s production assistant.

He was later transferred from Smith’s show to Varney & Company. The supposed reason for this was that it would have come off as a “conflict of interest” for Smith to date a subordinate.

Graziano is presently at Varney & Company, working as an associate producer.

During his tribute eulogy to Roger Ailes on May 18, Smith, the ex-husband of Virginia Donald made it known that his current partner’s name is Gio.

In a cover story for Time Magazine, the news anchor expressed why he couldn’t get why people were all about his personal life.

He said, “It’s just, you know, that’s just my personal life. And I’m not hiding anything. I have a longtime boyfriend and we’re as happy as we can be and we live a very normal life and go to dinner and go to games and see his family and see my family. It’s great for us. But I can’t imagine anyone else finding it interesting.”

He went ahead to say his sexuality is not an issue, “I don’t think about it,” he said. “It’s not a thing. I go to work. I manage a lot of people. I cover the news. I deal with the holy hell around me. I go home to the man I’m in love with.”

 

David Shepard Smith, Sr

David Shepard Smith Sr. is a cotton merchant best known as the father of former American broadcast journalist Shepard Smith. There isn’t much information about him on the internet.

Quick Facts About Virginia Donald

Real Name: Virginia Donald
Nick Name: Virginia
Age: 57 years old
Date of Birth (DOB): 1966
Profession: Socialite & TV Personality
Best Known For: Ex-wife of Shepard Smith (Journalist)
Birthplace: Mississippi, USA
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: White Caucasian Descent
Sexuality: Straight
Religion: Christianity
Gender: Female
Zodiac: Virgo
Current Residence: Mississippi, United States
Height/ Tall Feet & Inches: 5’4″
Centimeters: 163 cm
Meters: 1.63 m
Weight Kilograms: 65 Kg
Pounds: 143 lbs
(Breast-waist-hips): 34-32-37 inches
Bra Cup Size: 32 B
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Blonde
Shoe Size: 7 (US)
Net Worth: Approx U.S. $2 million
Parents Father: Not Known
Mother: Not Known
Siblings Brother: Not Known
Sister: Not Known
Marital Status: Divorcee
Boyfriend/ Dating: Single
Previous Dating: Shepard Smith
Husband/ Spouse: Shepard Smith (Ex-husband)
Children: None
Highest Qualification: Graduate (Journalism)
College: University Meek School of Journalism and Acting (University of Mississippi)
Pet Lover: Yes

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Is Shepard Smith in a relationship?

He is in a romantic relationship with Giovanni Graziano.

 

Who is Shepard Smith ex wife?

Shepard Smith’s ex-wife is Virginia Donald.