Fabiola Andrea Yáñez is an Argentine journalist and actress born on July 14, 1981, in Villa Regina, Río Negro Province, Argentina.
She served as the First Lady of Argentina from December 2019 to December 2023.
Her career spans broadcast journalism, television hosting, and stage performance across more than two decades.
Who is Fabiola Yáñez?
Fabiola Yáñez is an Argentine journalist, actress, and television personality. She grew up between several provinces in Argentina and later built a media career in Rosario and Buenos Aires.
She held the role of First Lady of Argentina for four years, alongside her then-partner, President Alberto Fernández.
Yáñez drew on her media background throughout her time as First Lady, participating in cultural events, charitable fundraisers, and international diplomatic travel.
Her journalism career started when she was just 17 years old, and it continued through television, radio, and stage productions over many years.
Since leaving the role of First Lady in December 2023, she has settled in Madrid, Spain, where she resumed her journalism work.
Early Life of Fabiola Yáñez
Fabiola Yáñez was born on July 14, 1981, in Villa Regina, a town in the Río Negro Province of Argentina.
Her mother, Miriam Yáñez Verdugo, raised her with the support of her maternal grandmother, Violeta Verdugo de Yáñez.
For much of her early childhood, her grandmother served as her primary caregiver. The family eventually relocated to Alem, in the Misiones Province, when Fabiola was a teenager.
She completed her high school studies in Posadas, the capital of Misiones.
Her upbringing took her across more than a dozen different schools throughout Argentina. That nomadic childhood shaped her adaptability and resilience in later years.
Later, she moved to Buenos Aires to pursue her education and professional ambitions in journalism and the arts.
Fabiola Yáñez Age
Fabiola Yáñez is 45 years old as of 2026, born on July 14, 1981. Her zodiac sign is Cancer.
She launched her media career while still a teenager, long before her years as First Lady brought her to international attention.
Fabiola Yáñez Ethnicity and Nationality
Fabiola Yáñez is Argentine by nationality, born and raised in Argentina. Through her mother, she carries Chilean heritage, as her grandmother Violeta had emigrated from Chile to Villa Regina.
Her upbringing across Río Negro and Misiones reflects the culturally diverse makeup of Argentina’s interior provinces.
Fabiola Yáñez Height and Weight
Fabiola Yáñez reportedly stands 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall. Her reported weight is approximately 59 kilograms (130 lbs), though she has not publicly confirmed this figure.
She carries herself with a slim build and is regularly described by media as presenting a composed and elegant appearance at public events.
Fabiola Yáñez Education
Fabiola Yáñez earned her journalism degree, a licenciatura, from the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires.
Her undergraduate thesis examined the communicative relationship between former President Néstor Kirchner and the newspaper Clarín from 2003 to 2007.
It was during her research for that dissertation that she first encountered Alberto Fernández, who served as Chief of Cabinet under Kirchner at the time.
She also pursued acting training under instructors Dora Baret and Matías Gandolfo at the Actor’s Studio founded by Carlos Gandolfo.
In addition, she completed her first year of broadcasting studies at the Instituto Superior de Enseñanza Técnica Nº 18 in Rosario.
Fabiola Yáñez Career
Fabiola Yáñez began her media career at the age of 17. She co-hosted a children’s program on Canal 3 in Rosario and went on to build a multi-decade career in television, radio, and the theater.
Her career path covered children’s television, adult talk shows, sports and lifestyle programming, documentary journalism, and stage productions.
She worked consistently across multiple platforms before stepping back from media when Alberto Fernández launched his presidential campaign.
Early Media Career
Yáñez began co-hosting content on Canal 3 in Rosario in the late 1990s. She hosted shows on that channel until 2004, working across children’s programming and lifestyle segments.
During that same period, she co-hosted Estrictamente Personal, a show focused on sexuality topics, on Cablevisión’s Canal 6.
She also appeared as a model in the fashion programs Look and Tendencia, also produced through Canal 3 in Rosario.
Yáñez hosted a weekly radio segment on Radio X4 in Rosario during this time. In parallel with her broadcast work, she pursued acting in Rosario.
She co-starred in a local stage adaptation of Romeo y Julieta directed by Daniela Ominetti and later appeared in the comedy production Entretelones alongside actors including Fabián Gianola and Ana Acosta.
National Media and Television Work
After completing her university degree, Yáñez expanded her journalism work to national and international outlets. She contributed to Infobae, Página/12, América TV, C5N, and CNN+, as well as Spain’s La Razón.
She worked as a news correspondent for Telemundo Argentina. Between 2006 and 2007, she carried out investigative journalism for a documentary film project alongside Gastón Pauls and Edgardo Esteban.
After moving to Buenos Aires, she made a modeling appearance on the program hosted by Susana Roccasalvo in 2009. She also contributed as a reporter for an automotive program on the Metro channel.
In 2018, her career gained new momentum. She joined Radio 10’s talk program Común y Corriente as a columnist and became a panelist on América TV’s talk show Incorrectas, hosted by entertainer Moria Casán.
That same year, she also appeared in the stage comedy ¡Otra vez papá! Después de los 50 alongside Manuel Wirzt.
First Lady of Argentina
On December 10, 2019, Alberto Fernández was inaugurated as President of Argentina. Yáñez took on the role of First Lady, the first woman without a marital title to serve in the position.
She publicly stated her intention to use the role for social causes, with a particular focus on children and families in Argentina.
In January and February 2020, Yáñez traveled alongside Fernández on his first presidential tour abroad.
The trip included a stop in Jerusalem, where the couple met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu.
The tour also took them to Berlin and Paris. In Paris, she met with UNESCO officials to receive updates on the organization’s education and childhood programs.
In March 2020, Yáñez participated in the re-inauguration of the Argentine Women’s Bicentennial Hall inside the Casa Rosada presidential palace. She organized Unidos por Argentina in April 2020.
That event, broadcast on television for seven hours, raised over US$500,000 for the Argentine Red Cross to support the country’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
Also in April 2020, Yáñez pressed charges against a La Plata-based news agency for libel, harassment, and gender-based discrimination toward her.
Her time as First Lady also included a wider role in regional diplomacy, hosting a summit of first ladies from Latin American nations and representing Argentina at various international events through December 2023.
Fabiola Yáñez Former Partner
Fabiola Yáñez was in a relationship with Alberto Fernández from 2014 to 2024. The couple lived together in the Puerto Madero neighbourhood of Buenos Aires before the presidency, and at the Quinta de Olivos presidential residence during his four years in office.
Their relationship ended after Fernández left office in December 2023. Yáñez relocated to Madrid with their son Francisco shortly after.
In August 2024, Yáñez filed a formal criminal complaint against Fernández for alleged domestic violence.
Her lawyer confirmed she accused him of physical and psychological violence that she said occurred during their time together, including while she was pregnant.
Yáñez testified for four hours before federal prosecutor Ramiro González via video call from the Argentine consulate in Madrid on August 13, 2024.
On August 14, 2024, an Argentine federal prosecutor formally indicted Fernández. The indictment made him the first Argentine president to face formal charges of gender-based violence.
Fernández denied all accusations and stated he had never exercised violence of any kind against Yáñez.
In February 2025, Federal Judge Julián Ercolini ruled that sufficient evidence existed to send Fernández to trial.
The charges include minor and serious injuries and coercive threats. As of 2026, Yáñez remains in Madrid with her son.
Fabiola Yáñez Children
Fabiola Yáñez has one child. Her son, Francisco Fernández Yáñez, was born on April 11, 2022, at the Sanatorio Otamendi in Buenos Aires.
Yáñez had previously spoken publicly about experiencing two pregnancy losses before Francisco’s birth. She also shared that he was conceived through IVF treatment.
The name Francisco was chosen to reflect admiration for Pope Francis, as both Yáñez and Fernández have stated. Francisco currently lives in Madrid with his mother and maternal grandmother.
Fabiola Yáñez Net Worth
Fabiola Yáñez’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. Her income has come primarily from her long career in journalism and from her television and stage work.
Her career earnings span broadcast hosting, documentary journalism, and theater productions across more than two decades.
Her work for major outlets including Infobae, América TV, and C5N, as well as international assignments for Telemundo and La Razón, contributed to her professional standing and earnings over the years.
Since relocating to Madrid in late 2023, she has resumed journalism work, contributing as a reporter for the Spanish media outlet OK Diario.
Fabiola Yáñez Social Media
Fabiola Yáñez maintains an Instagram presence under the handle @fabiolaoficialok. She has used the platform for personal updates and public communications throughout her time as First Lady and beyond.
She has kept a relatively low social media profile since relocating to Madrid. Her account documents some of her professional reappearances and public events from her new life in Spain.
The Bottom Line
Fabiola Yáñez served as the First Lady of Argentina from December 2019 to December 2023, a role she used to champion social causes for children and families.
In April 2020, she organized the Unidos por Argentina television fundraiser that raised over US$500,000 for the Argentine Red Cross.
She built her media career over more than two decades, starting at Canal 3 in Rosario at age 17 and working across television, radio, documentary journalism, and the stage.
Her Chilean heritage on her mother’s side and her nomadic childhood across Argentina’s interior provinces shaped the person she became in public life.
Since 2023, Yáñez has built a new chapter in Madrid, Spain, where she lives with her son Francisco and returned to journalism by reporting for OK Diario in 2025.
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