10+ Curiosities about Glória Maria that made her the greatest and most beloved journalist in Brazil

One of the biggest references of Brazilian television, Glória Maria has an enviable curriculum, ranging from a supercompetent and respected presenter and journalist to the protagonist of memes on the Internet and a vanguard woman in the country. Over 40 years in front of the small screen, Glória has become a true inspiration for many people of all ages. No wonder, since with each appearance she shows how bright, welcoming and generous she is. After all, what’s missing are adjectives that contemplate this Tupiniquim TV diva.

Thinking about it, the awesome.club separated 10 stories and curiosities about Glória Maria’s life that prove that the prestige of her career is not without reason, and show why she became one of the most beloved reporters on Brazilian television. Check it out below, and don’t forget the bonus that we separate for the end!

Anyone who knows Glória Maria at all probably knows that traveling is not only one of the main aspects of her work, but also one of her greatest passions in life. It is surprising, therefore, the number of countries that the journalist has already visited: 163, an insufficient number, of course, for one or two passports, occupying approximately 15 of them, as she herself revealed in an interview with Tata Werneck.

“Each one was born for one thing and I was born to be in the world. My daughters say, ‘Mom, you don’t live here. You live on the plane’. I live at home, but I like the world. I like living in the world, I lost count of the passports, I must have 15…”. However, anyone who thinks that Planet Earth is its limit is wrong. At the High hours, Glória said that she had always dreamed of going to the Moon, and that she is registered with NASA for the day she has her first manned flight. Admirable, isn’t it?

2. In addition to the Brazilians, a Scotsman was also enchanted by the journalist: Gerard Butler

During the movie launch party 300 in Brazil, in 2007, Gerard Butler, one of the protagonists of the feature, was another person who had fallen for the presenter’s charms. In an interview with Matheus Mazzafera’s channel, Glória told details about the affair with the Scottish actor:

“There was a story. He came to launch the 300 with Rodrigo Santoro here in Brazil, I went to the launch party and we met. It seems that he liked me very much and we left there together and stayed a while… He is so sweet! I won’t deny it because I’m free, the owner of my life, and so is he, that cat! Was it good, no. It was great!”

If we could say one thing to Butler, it would undoubtedly be: “We understand you! We are also in love with Glória Maria!”

During the year 1996, the international star, Michael Jackson, landed in Brazil for the filming of the music video They Don’t Care About Us, which began recording in Salvador (BA) and then moved on to Morro Dona Marta (RJ). It was in the latter, where Glória Maria would achieve something unattainable for many people: interviewing the eternal king of pop🇧🇷

Glória, therefore, was not only the only and first Brazilian journalist to whom Michael had granted an interview, she even had the biggest chat with the star: “Everyone said that he was disgusted with everything. And I was a microbe. I was all sweaty, filthy, and I walked up Dona Marta. I fell in love with him. We talked for two hours sitting on the floor and I won perhaps the biggest prize of my entire life. I discovered a person I didn’t imagine. I was really delighted, I gained a friend. He hugged me, kissed me. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life!”

Interviews with extremely famous celebrities do not seem to be new to the journalist. In addition to Michael Jackson, Glória has a curriculum full of good conversations with famous people from all over the world, which includes names like: Madonna, Freddie Mercury, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo Di Caprio, Elton John and Mick Jagger. On Jagger, who got her a peck on the cheek:

“I didn’t wash my face for a week,” told the reporter. “I didn’t even speak English. He helped me with this interview. Sometimes I forgot the words and he completed them for me. A wonderful person who helped me a lot”. about the queen of pop, Madonna, pointed out: “Everyone said she was very difficult… and she was wonderful! She is a simple, approachable and generous person”. It’s not for everyone, is it?

Although he has not yet gone to the Moon, in 2007, Glória embarked on a unique adventure: a flight promoted by NASA that simulated zero gravity. Therefore, she was the only national journalist and the first Brazilian to live this experience. Furthermore, she boarded the spacecraft along with 11 other journalists — from all over the world — handpicked by the US government agency.

For the sensation of being in zero gravity to happen, the aircraft in which they were boarded, when reaching a certain altitude, dived. Which caused the impression of weightlessness. “It’s amazing, you flip it, you go upside down, you can do whatever you want. It’s like you’re a kid again,” she said in awe.

Would she have done everything? We do not know! But one thing is certain: the reporter has been through situations that are at least peculiar, not to say challenging. In 2007, the same year that she participated in the experience on the NASA aircraft, Glória swam alongside a polar bear, at a research center in Canada. A few years earlier, in 2000, the journalist also flew over the Kilauea volcano, at the time considered the most active on the planet.

And do you think it’s over? In 2016, she visited the Sahara Desert, and has even jumped on a hang glider, being the first reporter to register a tandem flight in this modality. What’s more, she jumped from the highest bungee jump in the world, which is 233 meters high, which is equivalent to a 78-story building in Macau. “It was the worst feeling of my life, but then it’s great,” she said of the experience. Amazing, isn’t it?

In an interview with presenter Matheus Mazzafera, Glória Maria said that the most difficult subject she has ever done was the three times she climbed the highest mountain range in the world: the Himalayas. “I went to base camp, 5,400 meters. And I felt like a queen!” she told her, between giggles. “It took ten days climbing, without air, without preparation, without anything… but I got there”.

In the program What’s This Story, Porchat?, aired on GNT, the reporter gave a curious story about one of her trips to the mountains. She reveals that after a few days of walking, she came across an old man feeling very sick on the ground, outside a house. It was then, at that moment, that she decided to help him, but ended up interrupting a ritual of the local culture. “To this day I cannot understand whether I did it well or badly,” she said, amused.

Cover of the July 2016 edition of the Carioca magazine Gávea Pages, Glória Maria gave details about her career and talked about the many trips she has already made around the world. When questioned about who would have been her most difficult interviewee throughout her career, which, in turn, is over 40 years old, she replied: “I think Roberto Carlos”. Which may come as a big surprise, given that she has already done interviews with foreigners and is not fluent in English.

However, the journalist admits the affection and admiration she has for Roberto, who played a crucial role in her trajectory: “I was doing a story for the Fantastic and I got a call: ‘You have to come back now because Roberto wants you to present the program with him’. Imagine me, I had never presented anything, only local newspapers. I almost died! That’s why I have a passion for Roberto, because he is a turning point in my life. Many of the most important things I had were thanks to him.”

Although the presenter is not used to talking about her personal life, she has opened up a few times about the issue of motherhood. In the program Date, Glória said that she never wanted to be a mother, work filled her and her life was perfect. However, a trip to Bahia, in 2009, would change everything.

After years and years of working tirelessly, she decided to take a two-year sabbatical to rest and stay away from the small screen. It was at the end of the vacation, therefore, that the journalist dedicated three months to an orphan shelter in Bahia, where she would later meet Laura and Maria. “I had never thought about having children until I saw both of them for the first time and I was sure they were my daughters. This is something I can’t explain.” The adoption process was not that long. Today, Glória is in love with the girls. And who knew that one more trip on her endless list would give her her most prized possession?!

If you search “Glória Maria” on Google, one of the first suggestions on the site will be “Glória Maria, age”, such is the curiosity of Brazilians. According to Wikipedia, the reporter would be 71 years old, but in an interview with vogue, she annulled the veracity of the information: “Google lies. He can say I’m 70, 80, 90, 100. And like this: if it’s 70, send NASA to study me, right, baby? It’s the least I can say!”

Asked about the age she would like to be, she answers masterfully: “I worry about living. Only that. Age to me is a number that means nothing.” As for speculation, she concisely said that this is the most fun she has in her life, and she won’t give it up. Perhaps this is then the secret of all her youth and vitality: “I don’t have time to worry about time. I worry about living”. A true example, right?

Glorious in every sense, she was born in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro in 1949….