Meet Vanna White's New Husband, John Donaldson, As 'Wheel Of Fortune' Star Reveals Surprise Wedding

Vanna White’s own Wheel of Fortune has struck gold. After more than a decade of dating, the longtime game show co-host has officially said "I do" to her partner, John Donaldson. For the newlywed couple, age is just a number, and the radiant glow on their faces says everything about the happiness they’ve found together.

The surprise announcement has sent fans buzzing, especially after White previously insisted she didn’t need a wedding to feel married. The television star, who was previously married to George Santo Pietro and shared two children, has officially given marriage a second chance.

With Vanna White’s surprise wedding grabbing headlines everywhere, here’s a closer look at her new husband, John Donaldson, and the love story the couple has been quietly building for more than a decade.

Vanna White announces surprise wedding with John Donaldson

On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Vanna White took to her Instagram to proudly introduce her long-time partner as her new husband. In one of the photos, the Wheel of Fortune co-host, 68, is seen wearing a white gown as John Donaldson, 60, holds her close, with their wide smiles clearly reflecting their happiness. White accompanied the post with a sweet caption that reads:

"Surprise! We got married! John and I have been in love for more than a decade, and a little while back, we wanted to make it official in a private ceremony. We're excited to share this new joyful chapter in our lives with all of you! Love, Vanna and John."

The wedding marks a fresh new chapter in White's life, 23 years after she took a divorce from her first husband. While the wedding news caught fans by a delightful surprise, White and Donaldson's love story has matured beautifully for more than a decade.

Vanna White and John Donaldson's love story is aging like fine wine

It's true! Vanna White and John Donaldson have been together almost 14 years now, and their romance has blossomed into a lifelong partnership with every passing year. The couple first met in 2012 through a mutual friend, who had brought Donaldson along in one of White's barbeques. And based on her later interviews, she was instantly smitten. In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, the Low Country actress shared:

"I remember looking at him and thinking, 'He's really cute'. We ended up talking for a long time that night... It just works. He lets me be me, I let him be him ... There is no drama in our relationship."

It didn't take them long to form a close bond, one that has grown stronger with time. Despite White's massive fame, the couple kept their relationship low-key, devoid of unnecessary gossip of drama. Over the years, the actress and TV star often described her dynamic with Donaldson as drama-free, sometimes even describing him as her "male version."

The reason their wedding came as a delightful surprise was that White had often mentioned that marriage wasn't a priority for her. In her 2023 interview with PEOPLE, when asked why she and Donaldson didn't marry even after 12 years of being together, White candidly responded how they already felt married. She said:

“I mean, we've been together 12 years, and I feel like we are married. Do we have to get married? No, because we feel comfortable in our relationship. You know what I mean? I know that he's the one. He knows I'm the one.”

Who is John Donaldson?

Unlike his famous wife, Donaldson is no celebrity, but he has built an empire in real estate development and restoration. Over the years, he has often accompanied White at red carpets and charity events, and fans have enjoyed seeing them together. He is from California and owns JDC Construction + Development Group. As of 2026, his age is somewhere around 60, as per White's 2023 interview on Hollywood Life, which mentioned he was 57. He was previously married, but there's limited information about his ex-wife and children.

According to reports, Donaldson grew up in Santa Monica, where he built his career from scratch, staring as a labourer before earning his contractor's licence. He launched his own company later, supposedly sometime around the early 2000s, as per LinkedIn. The company focuses on restoration, redevelopment, and large-scale residential projects across Southern California, along with restoration of buildings that got damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake LA's San Fernando Valley region.

Who is Vanna White's ex-husband?

Vanna White was previously married to George Santo Pietro, a restaurateur-turned–real estate developer known for owning several upscale Los Angeles restaurants, including Santopietro’s and Sushi-Ko. After dating for several years, the couple married on December 31, 1990, and welcomed their son, Nicholas 'Nikko' Santo Pietro, 1994, followed by their daughter, Giovanna 'Gigi' Santo Pietro, in 1997. White and Santo Pietro separated in November 2001, and she filed for divorce in May 2002. The divorce was finalised later that year .

As Vanna White starts a fresh chapter as a married woman after 23 years, she looks the happiest, and so does her now-official husband. 

Read Next: Who Was Vanna White Married To Before John Donaldson? Why She Divorced Her Ex-Husband?

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