Lauren Sánchez and her upcoming wedding to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have dominated the headlines in recent weeks as all eyes look to Venice, where they will say "I do".
Despite being in the public eye and sharing her life online, many people are unaware of what the mother of three is really like behind closed doors.
Fast friends
© Getty ImagesHer former best friend, Debbie Matenopoulos, had nothing but kind words to say about Lauren in an interview with the Daily Mail, sharing that the pair met in the early '00s and became fast friends.
Debbie originally co-hosted The View until she was fired in 1999, and moved to Los Angeles to work at Fox's Good Day Live.
"Lauren and I go back way back," she shared. "Lauren was on Good Day LA, so she was on from 7 am to 9 am. I was on from 9 am to 10 am with the same set, same dressing rooms, everything."
© Getty Images"So, when I first moved to LA, Lauren became my good friend from work, and we would go out and have cocktails and we hung out all the time," the cookbook author added.
She explained that the helicopter pilot even auditioned for her role on The View, and had to get it off her chest before their friendship went further.
"When they fired me from The View, they had [Lauren] come in as part of the 'Let's find a new host' [search]," Debbie said.
© ABC"So that's kind of how we were connected. When I got to LA, she was like, 'I need to tell you something - after they fired you, I went and auditioned for your job,' and then we became friends."
"She goes, 'Yeah it was a tough spot to be in.' I'm like, girl, you don't know [the half of it]!" she quipped.
The real Lauren
© Getty Images for Breakthrough PrDebbie heaped praise on Lauren, revealing that she has an incredible character that has carried her through life.
"She is one of the hardest workers," the TV personality shared. "She always was prepared. She always looked amazing, and she did her own makeup. I mean, she's really a girl's girl. She's somebody that I think you'd always want in your corner. She's a very cool girl. She's super smart."
The duo "lost track of each other" over time, but kept in touch through mutual friends. "We had the same makeup artist for a long time, so we'd always keep in touch through her. I'd be like, 'Tell Lauren I said hello,'" Debbie told the publication.
Wedding of the century
© FilmMagicDebbie's glowing comments come just days before Lauren is set to marry the third richest man in the world, more than two years after they got engaged.
While details about their nuptials are scarce, Venice officials confirmed that their city would be the location of the wedding celebration, with hundreds of guests expected to arrive in the coming days.
Lauren's brother Paul shared insight into the big day with TMZ, explaining that it will be "like a Princess Di thing" in its splendor.
"I'm thrilled beyond belief," he added. "It's gonna be an amazing event. It's gonna be star-studded and fun."
To learn more about Lauren, watch below...
