Cristina Maria Jorge Ferreira (born 9 September 1977) is a Portuguese television presenter and businesswoman. Since the 2010s, she has been the highest-paid celebrity in Portugal (earning 232,000 euros per month, as of 2022).
Biography Born in Malveira, a small village of Mafra Municipality, 40 km from Lisbon, in 1977, Cristina graduated in History and taught it for a few years. Her parents were merchants in local fairs across the region.
She graduated in journalism and had prominent television presenters Manuel Luís Goucha and Júlia Pinheiro as her teachers. She began her television career on TVI, having hosted the daily "extra" Big Brother and the news show Diário da Manhã. From 2004 to 2018, she and Goucha hosted the morning talk show Você na TV!. During this period, Cristina gained status as one of the most high-profile celebrities in Portugal.
From 2012 to 2018, Cristina co-hosted the prime-time show A Tua Cara Não Me é Estranha, along with Goucha.
In 2017, she began hosting the show Apanha Se Puderes which was taped until Cristina moved to rival TV station SIC, in the second half of 2018. This deal was the most heavily publicised TV transference in Portugal in more than a decade. With this transfer she became a direct competitor of TVI and her previously co-hosted morning show at that channel.
At SIC, apart from holding a hosting role, it was reported she would also hold an executive consultancy role in the entertainment directorate of the channel.
In January 2019, Cristina began hosting her first programme on SIC, the morning show O Programa da Cristina, which directly competed with the show she co-hosted before, Você na TV!, hosted by Goucha, along with a new co-host, Maria Cerqueira Gomes. With O Programa da Cristina, SIC led the morning ratings for the first time in fourteen years. She received a phone call from President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (President of Portugal), which was televised live during the premiere episode of this show.
In the summer of 2020, Cristina Ferreira returned to TVI, this time as one of the shareholders. At 42, Cristina Ferreira left SIC after unilaterally terminating her contract two years early, prompting the broadcaster to seek compensation, which could range from €2 million to €4 million. This amount includes contractual obligations linked to call-in competitions. She re-joined TVI as a presenter, director of entertainment and fiction, and a non-executive board member, with a potential shareholding of up to 2%.
The channel SIC and Cristina Ferreira have reached a settlement, ending their legal dispute over a contract breach linked to Ferreira's return to TVI. SIC had filed a lawsuit against her in 2020, and in 2023, the Lisbon West District Court enforced the seizure of Amor Ponto's, Cristina's company, assets after a ruling ordered the company to pay over €3.3 million plus interest to SIC. The agreement brings the case to a close, though the details have not been disclosed.
In 2023, Media Capital, who owns TVI channel, announced that it has renewed its confidence in Cristina Ferreira by extending her association with TVI and appointing her as executive director of Media Capital Digital while retaining her role as director. The company stated that Ferreira will continue as director of entertainment and fiction and will also strengthen her contribution to new business and talent development.
Beyond her television career, Cristina Ferreira has also established herself as a businesswoman. She launched a fashion venture with her clothing store, Casiraghi Forever, based in Malveira. Her influence in the entertainment industry has been recognised by Forbes magazine, which ranked her second in the Entertainment category of its "Most Powerful in Business" list, scoring 68 points.
She has a son with her ex-boyfriend António Casinhas, a now-retired football player. She is a supporter of the football club S.L. Benfica.
Businesswoman Cristina Ferreira has been involved in various business ventures alongside her television career. She owns a clothing store, Casiraghi Forever, in Malveira and launched the website/blog Daily Cristina in 2013 to share aspects of her personal and professional life. She has published several books, including a cookbook, an autobiographical work, a guide to English conversation aimed at supporting underprivileged children, and a book addressing online verbal abuse. In 2014, she collaborated with Hush Puppies on a footwear line and launched the fragrance Meu in partnership with LR Health & Beauty, later introducing a men's version. She also published Revista Cristina, a monthly magazine from 2015 to 2024, which received the Arco-Íris Award in 2018.
Television career YearChannelProjectRole(s)2002RTP1RegiõesReporterTVIOlá Portugal2003Big Brother 4Secondary hostDiário da ManhãReporter2004 – 2018Você na TV!Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha2007 – 2010As Tardes da JúliaCo-host with Júlia Pinheiro2011Uma Canção para Ti 4Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha2011 – 2016Somos PortugalOccasional substitute host2022 – 20232011 – 2016A Tarde É SuaOccasional substitute host, covering for main host Fátima Lopes2012A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha 1Co-host with Manuel Luís GouchaA Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha 2A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha – Duets2013A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha 3Dança com as Estrelas 1Host2014A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha: KidsCo-host with Manuel Luís GouchaDança com as Estrelas 2Host2015Dança com as Estrelas 3Co-host with Pedro TeixeiraCristinaHost2015 – 2016Juntos, Fazemos a Festa2016 – 2017A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha 4Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha2017A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha – Special2017 – 2018Apanha se PuderesCo-host with Pedro Teixeira2018A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha 5Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha2019 – 2020SICO Programa da CristinaHost2019Prémio de SonhoGlobos de Ouro de 20192020TVIDia de CristinaEm FamíliaCo-host with Manuel Luís Goucha2020 – 2021Conta-meHost2021All Together Now2021 – 2022Cristina ComVida2022Big Brother Famosos 2022Big Brother Famosos 2022 – 2nd season2022 – 2024GouchaOccasional substitute host, covering for main host Manuel Luís Goucha2022Big Brother – Desafio Final 1HostBig Brother 20222023O Triângulo2023 – 2024Dois às 10Occasional co-host with Cláudio Ramos, substituting main host Maria Botelho Moniz2023Big Brother 2023Host2024Dança com as Estrelas 6Co-host with Bruno Cabrerizo2024–presentDois às 10Co-host with Cláudio Ramos2024Secret Story – Casa dos Segredos 8Host2025Secret Story – Casa dos Segredos 92026Secret Story – Casa dos Segredos 102026Secret Story – Desafio Final 62026-presentRoda da Sorte
Other television works
2007: Viagem ao Mundo das Maravilhas 2009: Guest role in Telenovela Sentimentos 2010: As Tardes da Júlia, Replacing Júlia Pinheiro 2011: Festas de Ponte de Lima, Co-Host with Marisa Cruz 2011: Festa na Praia Albufeira, Co-Host with Nuno Eiró 2011: Festa Medieval de Óbidos, Co-Host with Nuno Eiró 2011: Festa dos Tabuleiros, Co-Host with Nuno Eiró 2011–2017: A Tarde É Sua TVI, Replacing Fátima Lopes 2012: A Tarde É Sua TVI, Replacing Fátima Lopes 2012–2017: Gala de Natal na TVI, Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha 2013: 20 Anos da TVI, Co-host with Manuel Luís Goucha and Fátima Lopes
Awards
2011: 2° Gala Troféu TV7Dias – Best TV Host of the Year category. 2019: Portuguese Golden Globes – Personality of the Year category.
References
External links
Daily Cristina