One the best-known television presenters in Portugal has to be Catarina Furtado. Born in Lisbon, this woman has worked on a few radio stations and television networks (starting in the 1990s), but found true success when she hosted Top+ on Portugal’s RTP network. Top+ featured popular music videos and a national weekly record chart, much like MTV. She did a great job here, and gained a lot of recognition and even more work offers. In fact, Furtado was offered a hosting position on MTV Portugal before they had even expanded to the area. She also shot a few more television shows afterwards.
The biggest news with this celebrated Portuguese presenter is her recently-announced hosting position on the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, or ECS. The ECS is the longest-running international TV song competition, and in 2018 it will take place in Catarina Furtado’s hometown of Lisbon. But before you catch this show, you might want to learn a little more about Catarina Furtado. After all, it is nice to know a little bit about the person who is judging your favorite acts. If you are curious, please read on to learn about Five Things You Didn’t Know about Catarina Furtado.
She’s a Trained Dancer
Before Catarina Furtado was in front of the camera, she spent a lot of time on the dance floor. In fact, she even completed classical dance education from the National Conservatory of Lisbon in Portugal. Unfortunately, Furtado took a fall that ensured she would never dance again. But her thirst for the spotlight never faded, leaving her to take journalism, television, and acting jobs throughout her career.
She’s an International Traveler
While she initially attended school in Lisbon, she also took a huge step and moved to London for some time. During her stay in the city, she studied journalism and drama at the International School of Acting, and supplemented her acting with lessons at Lee Strasberg’s Method Studio. Quite some time later, Furtado journeyed to India during her work as a United Nations Population Fund Ambassador. She was doing some research on the behavior of young people in four specific countries — Haiti, India, Mozambique, and South Sudan. The research eventually made its way onto Principes do Nada (Princes of Nothing), a weekly show that was broadcast on RTP. It was designed to raise awareness about the problems that people in certain countries face.
She is the Face to Face Campaign Spokesperson for Portugal
Face to Face is a sexual and reproductive rights-focused program, with a particular focus on the problems that women face in developing countries. Catarina Furtado helped to create a television campaign in Portugal to raise awareness on these issues, after she was honored with the title of campaign spokesperson for her country. And it is working — the campaign has caused visible increases in public commitment of Portuguese government officials to the improvement of women’s living situations, as well as empowerment of women themselves.
She’s a Fashion Icon
As a famously-beautiful television presenter, Catarina Furtado had little choice in becoming one of Portugal’s national icons. She has graced the covers of several Portuguese magazines, her classic charm quite becoming of a Portuguese reporter. However, she was a bit tomboyish as a child, and still doesn’t really care for shopping or spending too long perfecting her looks.
She’s a Feminist
If you’ve heard of her UN campaigns, this might have already been clear. But Catarina Furtado is a die-hard feminist. She always promotes women asserting themselves in a male-dominated world. Above all else, she pushes for equality. Every single person must accept that the sexes are equal in order to reverse the damage that patriarchy has done to both males and females. Her idea of an ideal world is one where women can become heads of state and CEOs without being mocked or ridiculed — but men can be stay-at-home parents or play other non-traditional roles, too.
