Pia Whitesell

Pia Whitesell (née Loyola Blanco, previously Miller; born 2 November 1983) is an Australian model, actress and television presenter.

Whitesell came to prominence after winning Dolly's annual modelling competition.

She later competed in the second series of Search for a Supermodel.

Whitesell has appeared in various advertising campaigns for brands such as Myer and Mossimo.

Pia Loyola Blanco was born on 2 November 1983 in Viña del Mar, to former fashion designer Angélica Blanco.

She left Chile for Australia when she was four years old, along with her mother, brother and sister.

Her grandmother later joined the family.

When she was seven, Whitesell’s mother enrolled her in a modelling school.

In 1998, when she was fourteen, Whitesell won a modelling competition run by teen magazine Dolly and was given a contract with Chadwick Models.

By the time she was sixteen, Whitesell had travelled around the world for catwalk shows.

She finished secondary school by correspondence.

Whitesell appeared on the second series of Search for a Supermodel in 2001.

After Search for a Supermodel, Whitesell secured a contract with L'Oréal to appear in a 2003 campaign.

Whitesell has featured in advertising campaigns for Myer, Mossimo, Midas, Australian Unity, Crown Casino and Jump.

She has also been cast in various television commercials and endorsed brands such as Samsung and Cadbury.

After taking acting lessons and presentation classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2009, Whitesell became a presenter on the travel show Postcards Victoria and made guest appearances in several television shows, including East West 101 and Neighbours.

In 2009, Whitesell's image was featured on a T-shirt by designer Nick Bowes for the fashion label KRMA.

Actors Adrian Grenier and John Stamos were later spotted wearing the T-shirt.

Both Whitesell and Bowes was surprised by the attention it got, saying "When he asked if he could use the headshot, I thought nothing of it. The success of the T-shirt has caught both of us by surprise. I am really flattered and humbled by it."

In 2009, Whitesell began taking acting lessons, and attended voice and presentation classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

The following year, she became a presenter on Nine Network's travel show Postcards Victoria.

She became the co-host of Qantas' in-flight entertainment programs in 2010 and was named the first Australian celebrity tourism ambassador for Chile in 2014.

The following year, Whitesell was named the official ambassador for the 2010 Australian Grand Prix.

In July, Whitesell replaced Deborah Hutton as the co-host of Qantas' in-flight entertainment programs.

In 2011, Whitesell appeared in the romantic comedy film Big Mamma's Boy and television crime drama East West 101.

The following year, she was cast in Conspiracy 365 and guest starred as Monica Wetherby in an episode of Neighbours.

She became the face of Megan Gale's swimwear line for Summer 2012/2013.

She left the show in 2012.

Whitesell made several appearances on the Network Ten talk show The Circle discussing red carpet fashions.

Whitesell made a guest appearance in Wonderland in 2013.

In 2014, Whitesell became the first Australian celebrity tourism ambassador for Chile.

In August 2014, Whitesell joined the cast of Home and Away in the regular role of Katarina "Kat" Chapman.

From 2015 until 2018, Whitesell portrayed Kat Chapman in the Australian soap opera Home and Away.

She received a nomination for the Logie Award for Best New Talent.

After leaving Home and Away, Whitesell starred in Nine Network's Bite Club.

She also became a brand ambassador for the Mazda CX-5 in January 2015.

Later that year, Whitesell starred in a video for Maybelline promoting their new mascara and eyeliner products.

In 2017, Whitesell became the first Australian ambassador for the Gillette Venus brand.

The following year, she was named as the official ambassador for Melbourne Fashion Week.

She also modelled for Caltrate vitamins.