Brazilian soap mimics Senate sex scandal
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Former TV anchor Monica Veloso rejects comparisons to the fictional Bebel, the much-endeared prostitute in the popular soap opera ‘Paraiso Tropical.’
‘I don’t have anything to do with that character,’ Veloso told Folha Online.
Some 56 million Brazilians viewed the final episode of ‘Paraiso Tropical’ last week in part to learn the fate of Bebel, played by heartthrob Camila Pitanga. In the closing installment, Bebel appears before a Senate ethics panel, testifying as a senator’s mistress and announcing she would pose nude for an adult magazine.
It all seems a lot like the real-life adventures of Veloso, O Globo noted.
The Brazilian edition of Playboy is highlighting Veloso as its October cover girl. ‘The woman who shook the Republic,’ blares the magazine.
The ex-anchor’s out-of-wedlock child with Senate President Renan Calheiros has sparked a corruption scandal. The senator has denied charges that a lobbyist made child-support payments.
Veloso is said to be working on a tell-all book. Echoing Edith Piaf, Veloso declared, ‘I regret nothing.’
Posted by Marcelo Soares in São Paulo and Patrick J. McDonnell in Buenos Aires
Monica Veloso on the cover of the Brazilian edition of Playboy; Credit: Playboy