Jesús Vázquez (Ferrol, 1965) has once again illuminated Christmas. The presenter has been the host of the now traditional lighting of lights organized by Ferrero Rocher to make the most beautiful town in Spain shine. Although he has been linked to this advertising campaign for ten years, he is also aware of the shadows that the Christmas season brings with it: “He has a sad side, I am not going to hide it. I have already lost a lot of family, so there is always a moment of nostalgia that is inevitable.”
Even so, he considers that he still feels “very young” and tries to enjoy Christmas as much as possible: “I like to get this illusion out of the way, otherwise it would seem even sadder; Having the house undecorated every holiday would make me sad. Then I put my enthusiasm into it and put up all the decorations.”
An atheist for many years, the presenter creates a Christmas atmosphere without resorting to classic images. That is why this year he has chosen to illuminate his house with a “beautiful tree”, and has created two very wintery scenes: “I have made a mountain with some wonderful polar bears, and another with deer and reindeer in a forest.” This decoration also helps him prepare for her Christmas destination: this year she will head to Antarctica with her husband, Roberto Cortés.
Even so, Jesús Vázquez finalizes his work commitments before enjoying the holidays. He has been collaborating for a decade with Ferrero Rocher's “Together we shine brighter” campaign, a contest that values the most beautiful towns in Spain. The Salamanca town of La Alberca has won this edition after having been the most voted by the public, in a year in which the participation record has been broken. The neighbors received the presenter last Thursday the 14th to illuminate their town for Christmas. The lighting of the Christmas lighting was accompanied by fireworks and the distribution of 32,000 chocolates.
The municipality of Celanova, in Ourense, has been a finalist in the Flavor category. Vázquez is proud that a Galician town has reached this point in the contest: “I have been away from Galicia for many years, but they do not make bread or a tortilla like the one made in my land.” “Seafood, of course, as a good Galician, I love,” he adds. The presenter, based in the Spanish capital, considers that “there are very good Galician seafood restaurants in Madrid, although it is not the same as eating it in a seafood restaurant.”
Despite being a pure Galician, Jesus does not return to his homeland for this festive season. “For many years we have celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas with the family in our house in Madrid because we are more comfortable.” In addition, the presenter usually spends New Year's Eve in different places to "see how people live it around the world."
Before flying to Antarctica, Vázquez travels to Barcelona this week to continue recording ¡Allá tú!. Jesús has returned to his favorite television contest twelve years after the last broadcast, and is happy again in a format that allows him to improvise. “I have such a good time doing this program, I have so much fun, it's so me,” he confesses.
The television host was in a period of “professional uncertainty”, in which “he was not very clear where to go”, and the return of the box office contest to Telecinco has changed his life. Additionally, this year he presents Nudes for Life, a program to raise awareness about cancer and its prevention. Vázquez classifies the format as “another fantasy that destiny has brought me. It is a totally different program, and I loved the experience. I hope Mediaset wants to repeat it every year.”
Immersed in a successful professional stage, the presenter closes 2023 happy, and wants to continue like this next year. “I never ask life for anything because life gives you and takes from you. I have had very difficult times, and since I know what it is like when life shakes you and I have a very good streak, what am I going to ask for in 2024? In any case, I ask life not to take things from me again, I want it to leave me as I am.”
He says goodbye to 2023 with a wish: “I wish the Christmas spirit would be maintained all year round, because unfortunately Christmas passes and the good side of people is often saved again until the following year.” Jesús Vázquez trusts that one day we will achieve it.
