(Prelude)
It was a summer day and the sun was going to give us yet another hot and sultry day.
Like every day, including today I arrived at rehearsals on time and busier than ever. I had to give the best of myself and prepare well for the next episode of “Drive in”, one of the most successful shows around.
Enzo, the dancer choreographer with long curly blond hair, a sculpted, toned and slender body with gallant manners was preparing the props that would be used for the ballets.
I was very impressed by the kindness of this man and also felt a certain interest in me from him.
My 24 years old, my Supermodel physique and the large size of my bra, as well as my versatile and exuberant personality in dance and theater were certainly not to leave him indifferent.
After several ballets, we finally arrived at the closing ballet, the most spectacular.
I felt a certain tension on his part.
“Come on, come on guys, that’s not good, you look like mummies!” There is no feeling in what you are doing! Don’t get carried away by the music! Enzo yelled, interrupting the ballet rehearsal.
I had never seen him in such anger.
My idea of him was somewhat clouded by his angry reaction.
It had a strange effect on me. On the one hand, I was surprised to see this very gracious dancing angel transform into a man of character and strength. On the other hand, “this is the man for you” I tell myself, and I was fascinated by this contradiction. Mine? Hers?
I refocused and wanted to give the best of myself in this performance.
When he grabbed me, I buried my cold, shaking hands in his muscular forearms. The exchange of looks electrified me, his eyes made me feel like his.
At the end of the music, we all stood still as expected.
I was feeling euphoric while waiting for his last comment.
“Here we are!” he whispered in my ear, then turned to the dancers with a satisfying smile.
“Good guys, that’s enough for today!” This is how I want you! “From that day forward, I felt different, but mostly I saw and felt different.
Born in Genoa on October 3, 1959, Carmela Carolina Fernanda Russo, alias Carmen Russo, has always been passionate about classical dance from an early age. Daughter of Giuseppina Gherardini, cashier in a cinema and a policeman, Giovanni, she began to participate in various beauty pageants in the mid-seventies (in 1973, at the age of 14, she won Miss Liguria). Thanks to her breathtaking physique, she began to gain stakes in the world of cinema and began to shoot in horror, police and erotic films, obtaining various stakes in films alongside Alvaro Vitali and Lino Banfi , as well as a participation in the film by Federico Fellini “The city of women“. Next come the photo shoots for Playboy and Playmen magazine. Likewise, in the theater, she took her first steps alongside the great Walter Chiari.
She begins to stand out and her arrival on the “small screen” is inevitable. After doing some commercials, she took part in some of those shows that characterized the 80s on Italian television, such as “Beauty Center Show“, “Grand Hotel“, “Risatissima” and “Drive in“.
And it was just behind the scenes of this latest hit show which left an indelible mark on the 80s variety that she met Enzo Paolo Turchi, one of the most famous choreographers of that period, a gallant man. and polite, but at the same time very demanding professional. It was a whirlwind attraction that then turned into their wedding in 1987.
Carmen totally changes her look when she arrives at Rai (Italian TV channel) with short platinum blonde hair. She participates in the musical variety “Io, Jane tu Tarzan“, in the Christmas show “Sim Salabim” of the magician Silvan and “Domenica In” always on Rai where she has the opportunity to reconfirm her talents as a dancer.
She then left for Spain where she hosted the Telecinco program “Il Gioco dei 9” and later also another program “La batalla de las estrellas“.
She returns to Rai for the conduct of a television show proposing a new version of “Drive in“.
In 2003, she participated as a competitor on the “Island of Celebrities” without however obtaining the podium. However, it was an experience that touched her a lot. “It was Ms. Ventura, the host, who first separated us when I competed in the first edition of the reality show.”
The experience, however, continues Carmen Russo, further strengthened her love for Enzo.
In 2006, she won the Spanish version “Supervivientes VIP“, broadcast on Telecinco. With the victory, she returns to Canale 5 as a regular guest on a very famous “Buona Domenica” Show. In 2008, with the choreography of her husband Enzo, she toured Italy with her own show, the “Carmen Show“, where she presented her historic hits.
We find her in 2012 in the guise of a castaway during the ninth edition of “The Island of Celebrities” where, without winning, she ranks among the finalists. She then alternated television appearances between Italy and Spain and in February 2017 she released her new single Muevete. “Big Brother VIP” and “Bake Off” are his latest TV challenges.
Carmen also publishes two books. In 2009 she published “La mia nuda verità” (my naked truth) and 9 years later, “Completamente io. Desideravo essere chiamata mamma” (Completely me. I wanted to be called mom).
Carmen deeply feels the desire for motherhood and, thanks to assisted fertilization, she manages to realize one of the most beautiful dreams of her life: on February 14, 2013, with the birth of her eldest daughter Maria, she could not have been able to give a better gift to his beloved Enzo. Despite criticism to which she always responded with a smile, she discovered the meaning of life, that wonderful feeling full of positivity that makes you feel alive. A very attentive mother and always present, she succeeds in rigorously transmitting a constructive sharing to her daughter.
At 60, she is still a dancer, a sex symbol with a sculpted physique, the result of a balanced diet and a lot of gymnastics.
In order to transmit her love of dance, she opened with her husband Enzo Paolo an academy of classical and modern dance, ENERGYDANCE in Palermo where, in addition to dance, other disciplines are offered such as: singing, theater and the musical.
Carmen, your motto is “Take control of your life, take care of your physical and mental aspect, cultivate your interests: these are the stimuli that help you to live well”. What would you like to add to advise a man or a woman over 50 to face this splendid age as well as possible?
“Basically, we have to respect the main thing we have: our body and of course our life. First of all, we must do an analysis of our level of self-esteem, which must always be at its maximum. If you know you are a good person, you have to start there. You must take care of yourself in order to satisfy your ambitions and your desires. If you love yourself, others will love you too.
Another beautiful thing is the obligation to be in love. Even if you fall in love with the wrong person, it doesn’t matter. Being in love makes you feel in seventh heaven, happy and content.
We must not forget to smile: – If life does not smile on you, smile at life – a motto that I consider essential ”.
You have called yourself a “warrior who never gives up”, do you see yourself more as a warrior in spirit or do you have more of a warrior spirit?
“I certainly have more of a warrior spirit in fact on my Instagram page I wrote: “Always go up the river even if the current is strong“. Perseverance and determination have always been present in my professional career “
In your career, have you always believed in what you do or have you always done what you believed in?
“I always gave my all to achieve the goals I believed in and which were important to me. I always believed in what I did and at the same time I always did what I believed”.
37 years since you met Enzo, and still in the spotlight. What’s the secret?
“We were lucky, we started this relationship without a double objective. We enjoyed the pleasure of being together: a seed which then turned into a beautiful lush plant ”.
Classic and ritual question: plans for the future?
“Regarding television, I will have a big challenge, I will participate in“ Tale e Quale Show ”by Paolo Conti on RAI1. I try my hand at this adventure which requires a lot of preparation and which stimulates me a lot.
From a professional point of view I have always been very attentive to the body line and for this reason I have created for a few years a line of care in my name, the CR CARMEN RUSSO COSMETICI or through the QVC (chain shopping and entertainment) I offer an Italian brand of cosmetics and skin care. A range of the highest quality, safe and effective beauty, face and body care products created to satisfy the beauty desires of women of all ages. All information can be found on the website www.carmenrussocosmetici.com “.
Carmen Russo, a unique and unstoppable woman, who took her first professional steps amidst so many sacrifices: she began first with the theater, she then moved on to television, then to the cinema, and finally she returns to television, and who knows where it will end up.
