Marianela Valverde, The Last Costa Rican To Get Naked For Playboy

COSTA RICA EXTRA – Marianela Valverde is the last Tica (Costa Rican woman) to pose naked for Playboy. Paid ¢10 million colones (about US$18,500) for appearing in the magazine in 2011, the international model, currently the host of the national program “combate” says she has no regrets.

In an interview with the Diario Extra, Marianela shared her experience posing for Playboy and supports the decision by the magazine to stop publishing photos of women in the buff.

“I do not regret it, if it was a mistake I do not know, but who knows maybe I’m here (on television) because of it … for good or bad people know who is Marianela Valverde,” said the model.

Marianela says the experience opened doors for her, especially at a time when her career was going down, she received offers from brands for more work. “People wondered where I came from,” says Marianela.

She says she still remembers doubting that Playboy would ever choose a Tica for its centerfold, not attending the casting call after being told about the project. However, Mariano Matamoros, wanted to take sexy photos of her and sent them in to the magazine, along with photos of other Ticas.

“He showed it to them (Playboy) and their liked mine for being Latin, something they were looking for. It helped a lot that I also had posed for Maxim and been in Soho twice,” says Marianela, who still remembers the day Mariano called her, all excited, to meet the Playboy people, to a casting.

Marianela invested the Playboy money wisely, using a good part for a down payment on a house.

“It is in the past. I never had a problem with nudity. I always said to myself if I do pose naked it has to be in a great place, like Playboy. And that is what was,” says Marianela.

After Playboy, Marianela was featured naked in at last six different magazines in the United States. “They ran out of pictures and wanted more, but I didn’t because I was about to get married and finishing university. About two years ago they called again…they tell me the door is open for me, anytime,” said the model.