Glória Maria Matta da Silva is a Brazilian journalist, reporter and television host.
Early life
Gloria grew up in a low-income household in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, with her father working as a tailor and her mother, a housewife. She was taught values of cleanliness and accountability. Gloria lived with her grandmother after her parents divorced. Gloria's grandmother told her stories about her great-grandfather who was hanged in the mountains of Minas Gerais state. Daughter of a slave mother, her grandmother was also a beneficiary of the 1871 Law of Free Birth and, thus, born free. Her grandmother taught her that she needed to work to be free and Gloria decided to focus on combatting racial prejudice.
Career
In January 2010, Gloria met with news directors of Globo TV and shortly after, Gloria would be the special reporter for the Globo Reporters. She still continues this position today, sometimes co-presenting alongside Sergio Chapelin. Gloria Maria is the first black television reporter in Brazil, the first to present the seven o’clock news, and the first to command Fantástico. However, Gloria had to face many barriers and obstacles to become a successful journalist and reporter. For a year, Gloria Maria worked two jobs, including weekends before she acquired a position at Globo. Gloria Maria started her shift at Globo at eight in the morning and left at eight in the evening. After, she went to pre-college prep courses and then go home to sleep for an hour. Gloria would wake up in the morning to go to her job at a telephone company. Gloria received her degree in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. After graduating, she went on the presenting news on several Globo TV programs such as RJTV, Jornal Nacional, and Fantàstico. Soon after, Gloria became known for reports she would do while traveling to exotic places such as through the Sahara Desert and even covering events like the Falklands War in 1982. She hosted Fantastico for ten years and took a two tear sabbatical to travel to places like the Himalayas before returning and taking the second position as a Globo reporter. Gloria has accumulated more than ten complete passports throughout her career and has even received the honor of interviewing several famous people such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Freddie Mercury.
Personal life
Gloria was once married but separated because she didn't want to live together. Gloria also didn't consider having children but now she is a single mother of her daughters Laura and Maria whom she adopted as sisters from Salvador, Bahia, in 2009.
Philanthropy
Gloria saw children in dire need during many of her travels and decided to dedicate her time to travel around the world helping others. Gloria spent time in India volunteering to help care for and feed children and beggars in the country's poorest cities. She also served children in poor areas of Nigeria. Gloria continued her efforts when returning to Brazil and met her daughters.
