Celebrities in Tenerife are numerous, with well-known figures, or should we call them celebrities, regularly visiting Tenerife. For professional or private reasons, they come and go, sometimes noticed by the general public, the press, and the masses. Given that these very important persons attract the attention of their admirers, fans, and followers, we have embarked on research that is worth writing an article about.
We have selected a dozen notable individuals who have made their mark in politics, the arts, culture, and music. Note that many more famous, renowned, and infamous people have come to Tenerife, but this selection is of a high caliber. Here’s an overview of our celebrities in Tenerife.
Sir Winston Churchill en Aristoteles Onassis
A video circulating on the internet shows Sir Winston Churchill, then the world’s most influential man, and Aristotle Onassis, then the world’s richest man, meeting in Tenerife on the morning of February 21, 1959. They leave with their beach buggy, a Fiat 500 convertible, and their ladies from Onassis’s luxury yacht, which is moored in Santa Cruz. Never before had such a luxurious boat been received in the port.
On one of the decks, there was a seaplane that could be launched into the water at any time. Sir Churchill was 85 years old at the time, and we see him descending the gangway of the ‘Christina’ all by himself. Via the difficult-to-navigate roads, past the fincas, they make their way to Lido de San Telmo in Puerto de la Cruz. A delightful and unique document.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
Fidel Castro was on an economic mission in Tenerife in 1997. The outcome of this mission remains unspoken… However, his visit did generate significant publicity, and publicity is always beneficial for our beautiful island. There has always been interaction between Tenerife and South American states, especially Cuba and Venezuela, and that ‘connection’ is still present. Among the Tinerfeños, there are countless Cubans.
There has been much emigration from those countries, and daily life in the Canary Islands is infused with Latin American customs and traditions. You wouldn’t believe how many Canarian dishes have origins in Cuba and Venezuela. Gofio is one of them… Some important connections include the family of the South American independence fighter Simon Bolivar coming from Garachico and Fidel Castro’s grandmother from the Orotava Valley. So, Fidel had a point in visiting Tenerife.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll and Gerard Piqué Bernabé
Shakira was born on February 2, 1977, in the Colombian coastal city of Barranquilla. Her full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll; Mebarak is the surname of her Lebanese father, Ripoll that of her mother. The reason she is spotted in Tenerife is that she regularly stays there. After leaving Antonio de la Rúa, the son of the then Argentine president, in August 2010, she was frequently seen with the Spanish professional footballer Gerard Piqué, who is ten years her junior. She ended all rumors and speculations by confirming her relationship via Twitter.
The couple had a son on January 22, 2013, and owns a mansion on the island where they regularly stay; a striking, multi-million dollar villa in El Rincón, in the Valle de la Orotava with a full sea view. Their favorite spot is located in a zone between two black sand beaches. The exact location is not mentioned anywhere, and we understand why. Their luxurious residence has all amenities, including a helicopter pad. What did you expect?
Sofia Villani Scicolone and Gérard Depardieu
In early February 2008, the year she turned 74, Sophia Loren graced our beautiful island with her visit on the occasion of the carnival events in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. She did not come alone… another film guru trailed behind the buxom Sophia. The now Russian-naturalized Frenchman, Gérard Depardieu, had one problem: his eyes kept rolling into Miss Loren’s décolletage.
He couldn’t help it. It’s a male thing… As soon as men see a low neckline, they no longer know where to keep their eyes. They would prefer to reach out with their hands. But civilization has taught them to leave those at home. What else is there to do but feast their eyes? And the then 59-year-old Gérard Depardieu did so quite conspicuously here, yet he remains one of the celebrities in Tenerife, along with Sophia Loren.
Jennifer Ellison
Jennifer Ellison enjoys the Tenerife sun and showcases her tanned body in the photo next to this text. She is particularly well-known among English speakers who highly appreciate her appearances on ITV… The ‘Dancing On Ice’ star hits the beach and sunbathes adorned with all her jewelry, only missing a necklace here. It’s not clear when and where this photo was taken; she appears quite cheerful, but this isn’t unusual for people enjoying their vacation in Tenerife and soaking up an extra dose of vitamin D.
After an impressive weight loss journey (from size 18 to 8 in UK sizes), she’s now ready to be seen, and she’s well aware of it. Together with her husband Robbie Tickle and their 2-year-old son Bobby, she enjoys these quality moments. She tweeted herself: “What an amazing holiday with my boys! We are a very happy Tickle family after finding out some very very exciting news!!”
Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco was here too. Yes, a Grimaldi. She filmed a music video that was primarily shot in the ‘Parque Nacional del Teide,’ the tourist center of Las Americas, and for the rural scenes, she went down to Guía de Isora.
The youngest of the Grimaldis, who was always an outlier, embarked on a musical path in the early ’80s. In 1986, she made a TV appearance on TVE with the song ‘Esta noche Pedro.’ In 1987, she released ‘Wind of Change,’ and the video for the song was filmed in February of that year. It was a rudimentary, stiff video, characteristic of the ’80s, in a unique, distinct style… She ended her singing career in 1991.
Elisabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
The name Playa de Las Americas is not due to the fact that Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton each had a home in the immediate vicinity.
Nor was The Strip named after the presence of this glamorous couple. Hollywood’s golden couple visited Tenerife for the last time in 1970 and stayed in Los Cristianos. They used to visit a friend who led an anonymous life, a waiter… isn’t he in this photo? In the photo, we see Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in select company at the Oasis Moreque Hotel.
The Beatles, or at least a few of them.
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr came to Tenerife in 1963 and were in Puerto de la Cruz from April 28 to May 9.
John Lennon had stayed in Barcelona with manager Brian Epstein.
The remaining three were here incognito, staying in a cottage owned by a German friend. They got so tanned after a while that nobody recognized them anymore.
It was only a few months later that Beatlemania kicked off. No Beatle has visited Tenerife since then.
Bondskanselier Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel takes her vacation in La Gomera, where she relaxes and goes for walks. During Easter week 2016, she was spotted in Los Abrigos where she and her entourage entered a restaurant.
Before continuing her journey to La Gomera, she wanted to have dinner in the beautiful coastal town of Granadilla de Abona.
Fresh fish was on the menu. In 2017, she honored the restaurant Perlas del Mar with her visit. The German Chancellor had previously had a meeting at an undisclosed location with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was spending his Easter holiday in Lanzarote.
She often comes to Tenerife when she spends her annual leave in La Gomera.
Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch, a distinguished and notably beautiful cinema lady, was once on the island too. She starred alongside John Richardson in the British adventure film One Million Years B.C., a film produced in 1966 by Hammer Film Productions.
The filming took place in Tenerife during the autumn and winter of 1965. This film is etched in the memory of our not-so-young male readers because of her outfit. It was the first feature film in which an actress played her role in a bikini. Playboy immediately added her to the list of the sexiest women of the 1970s.
Michael Jackson
In 1993, Michael Jackson came to Tenerife. He landed in the company of his mother and some family members in his private plane, a Boeing 727 at Los Rodeos. An impressive convoy of three minibuses, two limousines, a luggage truck, and a jeep for a television crew took the party to the Hotel Botánico in Puerto de la Cruz where he later gave a concert for 50,000 fans who each paid 5,000 pesetas to be there. 1,500 VIPs paid 10,000 pesetas each for entrance and got a spot closer to the stage. Michael Jackson is undoubtedly a top name in our list of celebrities in Tenerife.
Walk of Fame
The walk of fame includes at least dozens of other celebrities who honored Tenerife with one or more visits. Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Stephen Hawking, Agatha Christie, Princess Caroline Matilda of Denmark, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Alfredo Di Stefano, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, Franco, Juan Sebastián Elcano, James Cook, Humboldt, Charles Darwin, Enrique de Borbón, Jules Verne, and Pablo Neruda are just a few notable names.
Not so long ago, George Clooney set foot on the island to scout locations for his latest film. He has assured that he will return to shoot and produce his latest production, Good Morning, Midnight.
Moreover, there are many more great and happy people on the island. You, for example, you’re naturally also an important person with a unique personality. Only the press, and in its wake a throng, isn’t interested in you due to your modest character and your unassuming demeanor. Sadly, but true, you’re not on our list of Celebrities in Tenerife!
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