Virginia Vallejo

There are characters whose life seems to be taken from a fictional story. Within that category is Virginia Vallejo, a renowned Colombian journalist and presenter, with a life increasingly diluted in the waters of oblivion. Surely, many will say that it is by choice; she will claim greater reasons: it is a matter of survival.

The journalist was already a famous character in New Granada long before she became a bestselling author in the publishing world. His work Loving Pablo, hating Escobar, continues to be one of the most commented books in much of Latin America. Even after almost 30 years of its launch, copies continue to sell enthusiastically around the world.

The story of a "Latin American Miss"

The first years of Virginia Vallejo's media career were quite "normal". Very much in the style of the South American Caribbean, he only needed to participate in the Miss Colombia and after winning it, try his luck in the pageant of President Donald Trump (the Miss Universe).

He was born on August 26, 1949 in Cartago, a municipality in Valle del Cauca. Her daily life as the daughter of a wealthy family - landowners - was interrupted by partisan violence. However, these episodes have been branded as "fiction" by many of the Andean country's politicians.

A life of a novel

During the 70s, Vallejo began to become prevalent on national television and film screens. He had outstanding participation in films such as Paco o Columbia Connection, for example. In that decade, he also obtained very significant advertising contracts. Among which, being the image of Cervecería Andina has been the most remembered.

His definitive leap to stardom came in the 80s. Apart from starring in the soap opera Shadow of your shadow, became one of the most emblematic news anchors in the country. Consequently, it won multiple recognitions (the award from the Colombian Journalists Association was the most prestigious).

Before and after Love Pablo

Identifying the turning point within the history of Vallejo is not difficult, it has a first and last name. Furthermore, he has been one of the most emblematic and controversial men in contemporary Latin American history, synonymous with organized crime… Almost 20 years after his death, many Colombians continue to venerate him as “the savior of the poor”: Pablo Escobar Gaviria.

He and Virginia Vallejo met in 1983 at Hacienda Napoles, a former property of the capo, now converted into a family entertainment center. After a while, they met in Medellín and the journalist became the lover of the sinister character. Therefore, she was a front-line witness to many of her actions and the only biographer who had access to her “object of study”.

Virginia Vallejo: A One-Book Writer

Virginia Vallejo is, in fact, a one-book writer. Even though its official website speaks of "books", in the plural. The "detail" is as follows: it is a title with millions of copies sold around the world and translated into 16 languages. The title in question: Loving Pablo, hating Escobar, a text that investigates the intimacy of a man elevated to the category of myth.

Similarly, Vallejo airs many dark and controversial details (both from Escobar's life and his own). As well as numerous secrets of the high spheres of power of the New Granada nation. As an example, it is enough to mention the names of three former presidents portrayed in the book: Alfonso López Michelsen, Ernesto Samper and Álvaro Uribe Vélez. An essay that delves a lot into this world of drug trafficking, but in Spain, it is Farina, scored by Nacho Carretero.

Amando To Pablo, hating escobar

You can buy the book here: Loving Pablo, hating Escobar

Vallejo he begins his story with an introduction outside the diegesis of his narrative. There tells in first person the moment of his untimely departure from Colombia - July 18, 2006- on a special flight of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Well, the DEA had approved the information and cooperation offered by the journalist in high-profile cases.

Among the most revealing data was the case of the murder of the presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán. Additionally, it provided data on the actions of Colombian criminal mafias on US soil and the complicity of various Colombian authorities. Of course, it is not the only book written by someone close to Escobar. At the time, Juan Pablo Escobar, son, published Pablo Escobar, my father. This title has become, in the same way, a best seller.

The days of innocence and sleep

In the first part of your tour, Vallejo justifies (under the argument of falling in love) how she ended up so linked to a "humble and dreamy" peasant. By that time, Escobar was a young politician — already married — and the same age as she was: 32 years old.

The days of splendor

The core of her work portrays the path of her "boyfriend" as he became one of the richest men on the planet. According to Forbes magazine, Escobar's fortune reached at times the figure of 30.000 million dollars. In fact, Vallejo details how the cocaine industry grew impressively.

The days of horror

Of course, for such "business success" the cooperation of figures such as Alberto Santofimio, Minister of Defense during the López Michelsen government, was necessary. In addition, Events such as the establishment of paramilitary squads and Escobar's personal army are mentioned.

Similarly, Vallejo addresses other painful chapters in contemporary Colombian history. Among them, the bomb attack on Avianca flight 203, in which the 110 occupants on board a Boeing 727 between Bogotá and Cali died.

The days of absence and silence

The journalist does not hide - if anything, she spices it up - the pain that the end of her love relationship meant for her with the "enemy number one of the United States." The breakup in question occurred in 1987, after four years of dating. In the end, the focus of the story falls on the last years of Escobar's life, until his death on December 2, 1993.

Exile

Today, Virginia Vallejo lives off royalties from Loving Pablo, hating Escobar. What's more, this story hit the big screen in 2017, starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. Yes OK she continues under the US Witness Protection program., still maintains its website and "everyone knows" that he lives in Miami.