Journalist and actress Rika Vagiani dies

Greek journalist and actress Rika Vagiani has died. She was 56.

Born Marika Zoula in the Athens district of Pangrati in 1962, she was the daughter of journalist Odysseas Zoulas and Varvara Drakou. Her adopted surname of Vagiani was a portmanteau comprising the first two letters of her mother’s first name with the second part of the surname of sportswriter Yiannis Diakoyannis, whom her mother married.

In 1979, Vagiani began working as a stage, cinema and television actress, graduating from National Theatre’s Drama School in 1982. At the same time, she started contributing as a journalist to magazines, newspapers, radio and television. She was a senior editor and subsequently editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Colt magazines, while she also wrote for Ena and Tetarto. She was also a daily columnist with the Apogevmatini and Ethnos newspapers.

In 1986, she began presenting on television, with featuring in shows on Mega, Star, Seven X, Channel 5 and, since 1997, with the state broadcaster ERT, which she has remained until 2012. She also contributed to the Protagon website and penned two children’s books.

She is survived by her husband, Nikos Stefanis, and son, Odysseus.

In a statement, the Athens Journalists’ Union (ESIEA) expressed its sympathy to her family.