Meet John Donaldson, Vanna White's Boyfriend
Vanna White is a TV legend, having hosted the long-running game show "Wheel of Fortune" for decades. Although White is a lovable and constant presence on the small screen, she keeps her private life mostly under wraps. As Pop Culture notes, in 1992, the TV star announced her pregnancy as part of a puzzle on the show only to later suffer a miscarriage. Likewise, her relationship with model and dancer John Gibson, to whom White was engaged, came to a sad end when he perished in a plane crash.
The "Wheel of Fortune" star subsequently found love with George Santo Pietro, who is also the father of her two children. White has since come into the public consciousness more significantly after covering for host Pat Sajak during a medical break from the hit game show, taking a spot many fans believe she'd long earned. Viewers are now increasingly wondering about the star's home life, and it will please them to no end to learn that White is happily settled with a loving and dedicated long-time partner.
John Donaldson is smitten with Vanna White
According to Closer Weekly, Vanna White met John Donaldson back in 2012 after the duo was introduced by mutual friends. The game show host gushed, "He is kind, understanding and lets me be me." They've been together a long time but are in no rush to tie the knot, with White arguing it feels as though they already are married so "there's no reason to change anything." Donaldson isn't a Hollywood star, but the successful contractor, who founded his own company, JDC Construction + Development Group, in 1992, has worked on the homes of some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Richard Dreyfuss, Dan Akroyd, and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" star Martin Mull.
Their website advises JDC operates predominantly in Southern and Northern California, creating a, "variety of residential property renovations, from custom single-family homes to apartment communities ranging from 100 to 600 units." He was reportedly smitten with the "Wheel of Fortune" host since the moment they met, and is a key part of her children's lives, with the foursome frequently taking vacations together. A perfect date night for the couple, meanwhile, would be "a very simple dinner with a bottle of wine," according to White. Chatting to ET Canada in 2021, she gushed of Donaldson, "He feels like a fiancé, he feels like a husband," confirming simply, "We've been together a long time. I'd call him my husband."
Is Vanna White eager to marry John Donaldson?
Although Vanna White has always maintained she's not pushed about marrying long-time love John Donaldson, in June 2021, a source told OK! magazine the happy couple was planning to tie the knot someday soon. At the time, the insider claimed White was eager to be married before her 65th birthday, in February 2022, revealing the ceremony might even take place in Hawai'i that summer, with none other than Pat Sajak walking White down the aisle.
"Pat thinks John is a great guy, which means a lot to Vanna," they shared. "John visits the set all the time and gets along with the whole crew." White had understandably soured on the idea of marriage after her previous divorce, but being with Donaldson has reportedly changed her mind about the institution.
During an interview on "The Tamron Hall Show," earlier that year, the host even mistakenly referred to the contractor as White's fiancé. Although she later corrected herself, the "Wheel of Fortune" legend admitted it didn't make too much of a difference because they already feel like they're married — maybe because they are?
John Donaldson is super close with Vanna White's kids
It's worth noting rumors swirled that the couple was about to get married in 2018 too, with Radar Online reporting the TV personality refused to sign a prenuptial agreement out of fear it would jinx them. An insider also shared that Vanna White knew immediately she had found someone special upon meeting John Donaldson. They revealed, "She just feels so relaxed around John. He dotes on her and takes her celebrity in stride. Her kids love him, too."
This chimes with how the family appears on social media. Although White keeps things mostly private, she often shares shots of the foursome — her, Donaldson, and White's adult kids, Nikko and Gigi — happily spending quality time together. They notably took a Hawaiian vacation, and she also posted a smiling shot of them in celebration of the 2018 New Year. The previous year, White shared a celebratory Christmas message again featuring the four of them.
In all three cases, the "Wheel of Fortune" star referred to the group as her "family," which just goes to show how close Donaldson is with her children.