Eleni Menegaki (; born October 29, 1969), is a Greek TV presenter, model and businesswoman. After she started her modeling career in the mid 80's as a model for different television adverts, magazines and video clips she pursued a career as a co-hostess in different popular tv shows such as Cocktail and Mega Banca.
In 1994 she had the lead role in the ANT1 sitcom Our Father (1994-1996) next to the popular protagonist Kostas Karras. In 1995 she started her successful longtime career on daytime television, hosting popular shows such as Morning Coffee (1995-2005), Coffee with Eleni (2005-2011) and Eleni with Eleni Menegaki (2011-2020; 2021-2024). Also from 1996 to 2005, she was hosting the National Beauty Pageant of Greece, the most successful beauty contest of the country, on ANT1 being the most long-running hostess of the show. In 2010, Forbes ranked Menegaki as the second-most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and top-ranked female. On July 2024, she announced that she stops her presence on daytime television after 33 years.
Career
Television
MEGA Channel (1991–1994)
Eleni Menegaki, went to a modeling school and started her career as a model in 1986. She starred in photoshoots, t.v adverts and video clips. In 1991 she participated in the MEGA Channel morning show, “Cocktail” (also known as “Morning Cocktail”). A year later, she and Giorgos Polichroniou hosted the highly successful game show "MEGA Banca."
ANT1 (1992–2005)
In 1994, she started in the successful ANT1 comedy TV show "Pater Imon" portraying a radio producer. The next year, she began hosting the ANT1 morning show Proinos Kafes . She continued hosting the show for 10 years with great success and soon the media named her "Queen of the morning zone."
ALPHA TV (2005–2020)
In 2005, she left ANT1 and signed to Alpha TV . She became the hostess of the morning show "Kafes me tin Eleni." Despite low ratings in the first season, it soon became a great success, especially in the commercial target group 15–44 years of age. In its last season (2010-2011), "Kafes me tin Eleni" suffered the lowest ratings ever.
In 2011, Menegaki's show changed its time starting at 13:00 and aired under the new title "Eleni." TV ratings have fluctuated. In May 2020, she announced that this will be her last season doing the show as she decided to take a break.
MEGA Channel (2021– 2024)
In April 2021, Mega Channel announced that Menegaki would be on their channel presenting a new show on week days at 13:00 which is called “Εleni”. Ιn July 2024 she decided to end her career in daytime television.
Advertising - Campaigns - Collaborations
She made her first commercial in 1986. The next one was in 1990, for the coffee company, Melita. In the same year, she also played in a commercial for the "Ultrex" shampoo company. In 1992, she starred in two companies commercials, "Knorr" for Risonatto and the company, "To Lambero" for the promotion of sunflower oil. In 1993, she appeared in an advertisement for the "Famozo" window cleaner. In 1998, she promoted the Prinou slimming center. In the 2010–2011 season ,she was the main person of the skin care company, "Olay" for the promotion of the new face cream.
From 2015 until 2019, she collaborated with the cosmetics company, "L'Oréal Paris Greece" for hair dyes. Also, from 2018 to 2019 she collaborated with the company "Fage", for the yogurt "Ageladitsa".
Filmography
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1991-1992
| Cocktail
| Herself (co-host)
| Daily talk show (season 3)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Ah Eleni
| minister's secretary
| 1 episode
|-
| Ta Bakouria
| Kris Catarahias
| Episodes: "To proxenio sto klouvi me tis treles" & Diazygio ala Katarahia"
|-
| 1992-1995
| Mega Banca / Mega Banca Show
| Herself (co-host)
| Daily game show on Mega Channel
|-
| 1993
| Incredible but Greek
| gang girl / girl in present
| 3 episodes
|-
|1994
|Miss Young Beauty Pageant
|Herself (host)
|TV special
|-
| 1994-1996
| Our Father
| Eleni Alexaki
| Lead role; 54 episodes
|-
|1996
|Aphrodite Beauty Pageant
|Herself (co-host)
|TV special
|-
| 1995-2005
| Morning Coffee
| Herself (host)
| Morning talk show on ANT1
|-
| 1996-2005
| National Beauty Pageant-Star Hellas
| Herself (host)
| TV special
|-
| 1997
| Crush
| Herself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1998
| Nanny for everything
| Herself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1999
| 2000 Wishes
| Herself (co-host)
| TV special
|-
| 2000
| Pop Corn Music Awards
| Herself (host)
| TV special
|-
| 2005-2011
| Coffee with Eleni
| Herself (host)
| Morning talk show on Alpha TV; also executive producer
|-
| 2006 2007
| Television Awards by Ethnos
| Herself (host)
| TV special
|-
| 2011-2020
| Eleni
| Herself (host)
| Daytime talk show on Alpha TV; also executive producer
|-
| 2014
| From a different story
| Herself
| Voice role, 1 episode
|-
| 2017
| Don't start moaning
| Herself
| 1 episode
|-
| 2021-2024
| Eleni
| Herself (host)
| Daytime talk show on Mega Channel; also executive producer
|-
|}
Music Videos
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Artist
! Notes
|-
| 1988
| "Don't betray me!
| Pascalis
|
|-
| 1990
| "You provoke me"
| Michalis Rakintzis
|
|-
| 1991
| "Unintentionally"
| Antypas
|
|-
| 1991
| "I don't change you"
| Antypas
|
|-
| 1991
| "It was my honor"
| Antypas
|
|-
| 1991
| "Only one sign from you"
| Antypas
|
|-
| 1998
| "Crying"
| Lambis Livieratos
|
|-
| 1999
| "Last night in my dream"
| Stamatis Gonidis
|
|-
|}
TV commercials
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| Melita
|
|-
| Ultrex
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Risonatto Knorr
|
|-
| To Labero
|
|-
| 1996
| Famozo
|
|-
| 1998
| Prinou Adinatisma
|
|-
| 2003-2004
| Lux
|
|-
| 2010-2011
| Olay
|
|-
| 2015-2024
| L'Oreal Paris Greece
|
|-
| 2018-2019
| Fage Yogurt
|
|-
|}
Personal life
Menegaki has been married three times and has four children from her second and third marriages.
At the age of 20, Menegaki married Greek shop owner Stavros Garderis but they divorced one year later.
In 2001, Menegaki married the former ANT1's program manager Giannis Latsios. On November 15 2002, she gave birth to their first child a son, Aggelos-Ioannis. On February 9 2005, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter Laura, and three years later, on January 28 2008, their third child, a second daughter, Valeria was born. In January 2010, Menegaki announced their divorce.
In 2010, Menegaki began dating Greek entrepreneur Makis Pantzopoulos. On March 29, 2015, she gave birth to their daughter, Marina and they were married the same year.
Public image and impact
With the success of her shows, Menegaki became the most successful celebrity in Greece. She is followed by paparazzi and makes headlines everywhere. Her divorce from Giannis Latsios became a controversial and highly discussed topic.