Valentina Leontyeva

Valentina Mikhaylovna Leontyeva (Russian: Валентина Михайловна Леонтьева; 1 August 1923 in Petrograd – 20 May 2007 in Ulyanovsk) was a famous anchor on Soviet TV.

She was also the host of the Goluboy ogonyok ("Blue Light"), a New Year's Eve variety show, and Spokoinoi Nochi, Malyshi ("Good Night, Little Ones"), a daily program for children.

In the 1980s, she hosted Visit to Fairy Tales, a children's show, and became popularly known as simply "Aunt Valya" (Russian: Тётя Валя).

Her popularity led to her being awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1982), the highest honor that could be bestowed on a television presenter.

There is a statue of her more than 2m in height on the Goncharov street in Ulyanovsk unveiled on 1 August 2008 in the garden of the Ulyanovskiy Regional Muppets Theater, which was recently named after Leontyeva.

Valentina Leontyeva, better known to the public as "Aunt Valya", was the only female television presenter to be named People's Artist of the USSR .