“You are the mother of all!”: why the favorite of Soviet children “Aunt Valya” was not buried by her only son. Valentina Leontieva's sister Lyudmila Mikhailovna: Valechka's only son never once visited his mother's grave Yuri Vinogradov Valentina Leontieva's husband
The son of the legendary presenter Valentina Leontyeva Dmitry Vinogradov gave candid interview. He commented on the most monstrous rumors that hovered around his relationship with his eminent mother.
On May 20, it will be ten years since the death of the star of the programs “Visiting a fairy tale” and “With all my heart” Valentina Leontyeva. She was an idol for adults and children, but there were persistent rumors in the media that she had a very tense relationship with her own son Dmitry. Moreover, supposedly in her old age, Leontieva suffered beatings from her only heir. Dmitry Vinogradov commented on the most common rumors about himself and privacy his mother.
Now the man lives more than 100 kilometers from Moscow in his own house. Dmitry is engaged in creativity - since 2011 he has been a professional artist. According to Vinogradov, he "enjoys life" - he reads books, rides a bicycle, swims in a kayak, walks in the forest, works.
To begin with, Dmitry denied the information that he and his mother had a strained relationship. "We had great relationship with mom. She never scolded me, for example, for bad grades, never got annoyed, never raised her voice at me and was always an absolute diplomat. The fact is that she is an extremely well-mannered and educated woman, she could not afford to behave like some boorish people. And as a result, we had a wonderful relationship. BUT big flat allowed us to live completely independently and not interfere with each other, ”said Dmitry.
According to Vinogradov, his mother was a bright, independent woman who smoked a lot and even drove a car herself. In addition, Valentina Leontieva had a very tough character. Dmitry also noted that his mother had many enemies, "like any famous person."
The man said that he did not have complexes because of the famous mother and he did not feel lonely, as journalists presented him to the public. “Not only did my mother’s burden not put pressure on me, but no one blamed me for her fame - by and large, everyone didn’t care,” Vinogradov said.
Dmitry is sure that big influence it was not his mother at all, but his father, an employee of the USSR diplomatic mission in New York, Yuri Vinogradov. “My father is a cheerful, educated, intelligent, encyclopedically savvy person in all respects. Who was never a snob, never surrounded himself with special the right people. He went on vacation for forty years - and even more - to a small seaside town. He was surrounded by academics, drivers, and retired boxers. It was he who taught me to enjoy communicating with all people, not dividing them into estates or castes ... Dad ate and lived with large tablespoons in all respects, ”Dmitry said.
In the 70s, Valentina Leontieva and Yuri Vinogradov divorced. However. according to Dmitry, he did not worry about their breakup. However, he does not maintain relations with his father's other family. “My mother and father’s photographs are not placed in my house - I think about them, they are in my head and in my heart, and showing them to someone, demonstrating that I remember them, is stupid and some kind of posturing. In general, about the carnival, in which I lived since childhood, I would not say that it is so much fun. Mom always played a little - it was in her blood, ”Moskovsky Komsomolets quotes Dmitry Vinogradov. Three years before her death, Valentina Leontyeva went to stay with her relatives in Novoselki. Vinogradov explained that the mother had suffered a fracture of the femoral neck. The host's sister Lyudmila and her daughter Galina volunteered to look after her, offering her to live with them for some time. Rumor has it that this happened as a result of an alleged forceful collision between Leontyeva and her son. “Listen, I'm a boxer, I knock men down with one blow, and my mother was small, fragile ... how do you imagine that? What nonsense?! In general, rumors that I beat my mother began to be spread by relatives - after they failed to get half mom's apartment", Vinogradov is convinced.
As Dmitry said, after the departure of his mother, he began to send her all her pension and salary. Galina also took a lot of furniture from the Moscow apartment. And then interesting things began to happen. “At first it was said that there would be enough space in the sister’s apartment for everyone - and Valentina Mikhailovna, of course, too. After some time, Galina called me and said that an apartment was being sold in their house on the same floor and it would be good for my mother to buy it. I was somewhat surprised by the price of this apartment, but I had no idea that my sister could play some kind of dishonest game with me, and I sent the money. But then I was extremely surprised to learn that this apartment was allocated by the local administration, ”said the host’s son.
An unpleasant story ended tragically. “Unfairly earned things never bring happiness, and even more so in such a situation. After some time, two of Galina's sons died, who simultaneously crashed in an accident, and less than a year later, Galina herself died, ”said Vinogradov.
It is no secret that while Leontieva lived with relatives, her son did not come to her. He explained it this way: “We talked on the phone with her, talked, I was going to go there, but, on the other hand, she was going to return, everything was already prepared.” It turns out that Dmitry bought two apartments for himself and his mother.
When the presenter died, Dmitry Vinogradov was not seen at the funeral. “She wanted to be buried next to her mother. Place on Vagankovsky cemetery has already been allocated. And relatives violated her will. And in the future, they simply used my mother’s popularity to achieve their personal interests, ”said Dmitry. At the same time, he noted that he was at the grave of his mother "one day", before his departure for the Moscow region.
Leontieva was worried that Dmitry had no children. However, Vinogradov became a father at the age of 45, which he does not regret at all. A man does not have a soul in his offspring. “Very smart, very kind, very attentive - the most important thing for me in this world. Besides my son, I have no one, and apart from my son, nothing interests me. He comes to me for the holidays, and lives with his mother. Mom is a very good professional makeup artist, and there is simply no work for her here. Here we ride bicycles with him, kayak, walk in the forest, read books, and my greatest achievement is that I weaned him off the computer. Nobody believes me, but in fact it is very simple: you just need to deal with it, ”Vinogradov is convinced. At the same time, Dmitry does not know how he sees his son in the future.
Vinogradov explained: “I want him to be the way he wants to be. I have no right to point here. He has the right to live life as he sees fit. I can give him some advice, but in no case do not press. Crushed, enslaved people who live in some kind of non-existent stamps that they have built for themselves; so whatever he wants, he will do.”
On May 20, it will be ten years since the death of the star of the programs "Visiting a fairy tale" and "With all my heart" Valentina Leontyeva. She was an idol for adults and children, but there were persistent rumors in the media that she had a very tense relationship with her own son Dmitry. Moreover, supposedly in her old age, Leontieva suffered beatings from her only heir. Dmitry Vinogradov commented on the most common rumors about himself and his mother's private life.
ON THIS TOPIC
Now the man lives more than 100 kilometers from Moscow in his own house. Dmitry is engaged in creativity - since 2011 he has been a professional artist. According to Vinogradov, he "enjoys life" - he reads books, rides a bicycle, swims in a kayak, walks in the forest, works.
To begin with, Dmitry denied the information that he and his mother had a strained relationship. “We had an excellent relationship with my mother. She never scolded me, for example, for bad grades, she never got annoyed, did not raise her voice at me and was always an absolute diplomat. The fact is that she is an extremely well-mannered and educated woman, she does not I could afford to behave like some boorish people. And as a result, we had a wonderful relationship. And a large apartment allowed us to live completely independently and not interfere with each other, "said Dmitry.
According to Vinogradov, his mother was a bright, independent woman who smoked a lot and even drove a car herself. In addition, Valentina Leontieva had a very tough character. Dmitry also noted that his mother had many enemies, "like any famous person."
The man said that he did not have complexes because of the famous mother and he did not feel lonely, as journalists presented him to the public. “Not only did my mother’s burden not put pressure on me, but no one blamed me for her fame - by and large, everyone didn’t care,” Vinogradov said.
Dmitry is sure that it was not his mother who had a great influence on him, but his father, an employee of the USSR diplomatic mission in New York, Yuri Vinogradov. "My father is a cheerful, educated, intelligent, encyclopedically savvy person in all respects. Who was never a snob, never surrounded himself with special right people. He went on vacation for forty years - and even more - to a small seaside town. He was surrounded and academics, and drivers, and retired boxers. It was he who taught me to enjoy communicating with all people, without dividing them into estates or castes ... Dad ate and lived with large tablespoons in all respects, "Dmitry said.
In the 70s, Valentina Leontieva and Yuri Vinogradov divorced. However. according to Dmitry, he did not worry about their breakup. However, he does not maintain relations with his father's other family. “My mother and father’s photographs are not placed in my house - I think about them, they are in my head and in my heart, and showing them to someone, demonstrating that I remember them, is stupid and some kind of posturing. In general, about the carnival in which I lived since childhood, I would not say that it was so much fun. Mom always played a little - it was in her blood, "Moskovsky Komsomolets quotes Dmitry Vinogradov.
Three years before her death, Valentina Leontyeva went to stay with her relatives in Novoselki. Vinogradov explained that the mother had suffered a fracture of the femoral neck. The host's sister Lyudmila and her daughter Galina volunteered to look after her, offering her to live with them for some time. Rumor has it that this happened as a result of an alleged forceful collision between Leontyeva and her son. “Listen, I’m a boxer, I knock men down with one blow, and my mother was small, fragile ... how do you imagine that? get half of my mother's apartment," Vinogradov is convinced.
As Dmitry said, after the departure of his mother, he began to send her all her pension and salary. Galina also took a lot of furniture from the Moscow apartment. And then interesting things began to happen. “At first it was said that there would be enough space in my sister’s apartment for everyone - and Valentina Mikhailovna, of course, too. After some time, Galina called me and said that an apartment was being sold in their house on the same floor and it would be good for my mother to buy it. I was somewhat surprised by the price of this apartment, but I had no idea that my sister could play some kind of dishonest game with me, and I sent the money. But then I was extremely surprised to learn that this apartment was allocated by the local administration, "- said the son of the presenter.
An unpleasant story ended tragically. “Illegally earned things never bring happiness, and even more so in such a situation. After some time, two of Galina’s sons died, who simultaneously crashed in an accident, and less than a year later, Galina herself died,” said Vinogradov.
It is no secret that while Leontieva lived with relatives, her son did not come to her. He explained it this way: "We talked on the phone with her, talked, I was going to go there, but, on the other hand, she was going to return, everything was already prepared." It turns out that Dmitry bought two apartments for himself and his mother.
When the presenter died, Dmitry Vinogradov was not seen at the funeral. "She wanted to be buried next to her mother. A place at the Vagankovsky cemetery had already been allocated. And the relatives violated her will. And in the future they simply used my mother's popularity to achieve their personal interests," Dmitry said. At the same time, he noted that he was at his mother's grave "one day", before his departure for the Moscow region.
Leontieva was worried that Dmitry had no children. However, Vinogradov became a father at the age of 45, which he does not regret at all. A man does not have a soul in his offspring. "Very smart, very kind, very attentive - the most important creature in this world for me. Besides my son, I have no one, and apart from my son, I'm not interested in anything. He comes to me on vacation, but lives with his mother. Mom - a very good professional makeup artist, and there is simply no work for her here. We ride bicycles with him, swim in kayaks, walk in the forest, read books, and my greatest achievement is that I weaned him off the computer. Nobody believes me, but in fact it is very simple: you just have to deal with it," Vinogradov is convinced. At the same time, Dmitry does not know how he sees his son in the future.
Vinogradov explained: “I want him to be the way he wants to be. I have no right to indicate here. He has the right to live life as he sees fit. I can give him some advice, but in no case put pressure Crushed, enslaved people who live in some kind of non-existent stamps that they built for themselves, therefore, whatever he wants, he will do.”
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On August 1, the People's Artist of the USSR, television announcer, host of the programs “ Goodnight, kids!”, “Visiting a fairy tale”, “From the bottom of my heart” to Valentina Leontieva, but in 2007 she passed away. The charming aunt Valya was adored by little viewers and their parents, Bulat Okudzhava and Arkady Raikin were in love with her, she was married twice, but she called television her greatest love. She had to sacrifice a lot for this love.
Valentina Leontieva
Valentina Leontyeva in the first studio of the program *Good night, kids!*, 1960s
Valentina Leontyeva was born on August 1, 1923 in Leningrad. During the Second World War, the family had a chance to survive the blockade and famine, which she could not forget until the end of her days. They cooked jelly from wood glue and soup from a leather belt cut into small pieces. To distract her daughters from thoughts about food and discourage their appetite, the mother taught them to smoke. Valentina was a heavy smoker all her life and gave up this habit only a year before her death.
Valentina Leontyeva - host of the program *Good night, kids!*
*Aunt Valya Soviet Union*
Valentina dreamed of becoming an actress and in postwar period Graduated from the Opera and Drama Studio. Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art Theater, worked in Tambov drama theater and then came to television. She first appeared on the screen in 1954. Her debut as an announcer was unsuccessful: she had to read a message on the New Year tree in the Central House Soviet army and she was so flustered that she began to stutter. But that was the only miss. After 10 years, not a single holiday program on central television took place without her participation.
Announcer and TV presenter Valentina Leontieva
There were many romantic stories in her life. Once, in 1945, right after the Victory, Valentina saw a captured German who was digging a trench, and he asked her for bread. She obtained permission to feed him dinner, and 10 years later he returned to the USSR to thank her and propose to her. She refused him, as well as another boyfriend - an Arbat boy who sang songs to her and dedicated poems. It was Bulat Okudzhava. They met 40 years later, when Leontief was asked to invite the poet to a TV show. And a month after this meeting, Bulat Okudzhava died. Valentina said: “I am terribly sorry now that we lost these forty years without seeing each other - how much could have been otherwise!”
Leontieva with female miners on the set of the program *With all my heart*
The first time she married student years. This marriage was short-lived and broke up due to her husband's infidelity. The second time, Valentina married diplomat Yuri Vinogradov, whom she fell in love with at first sight. They lived together for 28 years, but then broke up. Two years after the birth of their son, Valentina became the host of the Good Night, Kids! program. The son was very jealous of her for all the children, to whom she paid more attention than to him, and was worried because her mother was “everyone”, and not just him.
Valentina Leontyeva - host of the program *Good night, kids!*
Leontieva devoted 50 years of her life to television and called it her own big love. She admitted: “Television was my number one home. She left for work - her son was still sleeping. Came back and was already asleep. She didn’t swaddle, and didn’t even feed. Perhaps this was the reason for their discord in the future. The son rarely spoke with his mother, and in recent years, he did not see each other at all, he did not even come to her funeral.
Valentina Leontyeva on the set of the program *Good night, kids!*
And at the same time, millions of Soviet children adored Aunt Valya and were waiting for new releases of "Quiet", as they called "Good night, kids!". She was also the host of the program “Visiting a fairy tale”, “Alarm clock”, “From the box of the theater”, the festive “Blue Lights” and the search program “With all my heart”. She was affectionately called Aunt Valya of the Soviet Union, she became the only female announcer of the Central Television, awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR.
People's Artist of the USSR Valentina Leontyeva
In the 1990s for Valentina Leontyeva, the most difficult period came: all her programs were closed, the new management did not see her as an announcer or presenter. She was transferred to the position of assistant director, later - a consultant in the sign language department. At the same time, health problems began. In 2004, after an unsuccessful fall, Leontyeva developed memory lapses and her eyesight worsened. Last days she spent with her sister in the village of Novoselki in the Ulyanovsk region, where she was buried.
Announcer and TV presenter Valentina Leontieva
In her declining years, Leontieva complained: “Television is no longer what it used to be. Then there was more sincerity in people, we loved our work. That is why the transmissions turned out to be sincere and kind. What now? Endless games and shows in which greed, immorality and greed reign."
Monument to V. Leontyeva in Ulyanovsk
The small Volga village of Novoselki has never seen such a crowd of people. The square near the local House of Culture was crammed with cars: admirers of the talent of the brightest Soviet TV star Valentina LEONTIEVA came here. They came to see her off on her last journey. To pay tribute to the memory of a person who was for some a good storyteller Aunt Valya, for others - the beloved host of Blue Lights and the most popular Soviet TV program, With All My Soul.
I still remember how the children in our yard, throwing toys in the sandbox, shouting “Aunt Valya! Aunt Valya! ran home to watch the program “Visiting a Fairy Tale,” says Margarita NESTERENKO, a pensioner who arrived from Tolyatti. We have lost such a kind person! So bitter!
Anatoly BELEVTsEV
Only three people came to the funeral, who knew Valentina Mikhailovna closely at work: her former administrator Andrei Udalov and students - Lyudmila Tueva and Andrei Orlov. The current TV bosses and broadcast stars, many of whom made their first steps on TV under the leadership of Leontieva, limited themselves to telegrams of condolences at best.
Life after fame
For the last three years, Valentina Mikhailovna lived in the Ulyanovsk village with her sister, where she bought an apartment. She moved to Novoselki after a serious conflict with her son.
There were rumors that Dmitry had severely beaten his mother: that's why she ended up in the hospital, where doctors barely saved Leontiev. Relatives took care of Aunt Valya, only the son never came - he only called occasionally. But the fans did not forget their favorite TV presenter: every day she received letters and parcels from all over the country. Valentina Mikhailovna was invited to visit and offered financial assistance.
Since the end of last year, Leontieva's health has deteriorated sharply. She almost stopped getting up, the doctors diagnosed her with progressive senile insanity. “She can’t even move around the room on her own, we feed her with a spoon,” Lyudmila Mikhailovna, Leontyeva’s older sister, complained to Express Newspaper correspondents at the time. - All day long Valechka lies and groans: after a concussion, she has terrible headaches. She also suffered a microstroke.
I foresaw the end
In mid-May, Valentina Leontyeva asked her sister:
Lucy, bury me at the local rural cemetery. No Moscow, no Novodevichy! After all, you won’t be able to travel to the capital often, but here I’ll be supervised ... Lyudmila Mikhailovna tried to laugh it off: they say, Valya, it’s too early for you to talk about death! But Valentina Mikhailovna took her relative by the hand and said: - I feel, Lyusenka, I don't have long left. The Lord will soon take over… Alas, that is what happened. A few days later, Valentina Mikhailovna developed pneumonia, her temperature rose to 40 degrees. The doctor who arrived said that he could not help.
All night long, in her delirium, she called her son: “Mitenka ... Mitenka ...” When Vali was gone, I called my nephew on my cell phone, - Lyudmila Mikhailovna cannot restrain her sobs. - He took the message about the death of his mother very dryly, as if it did not concern him, he said that he was abroad for important matters, and asked not to wait for the funeral. Say, then somehow come. Although I don't think it will. During his lifetime, Vali did not find time. What is it now.
All day long, people called to the Leontyevs' house: to express their condolences, to ask how they could help. Bouquets of flowers were brought to the entrance where the TV presenter lived - sincerely, with all my heart. Aunt Valya was buried according to Orthodox customs: the small village church where she was buried could not accommodate everyone who wanted to attend the ceremony. - On a bright day they bury Valentina. To Nikola! - gossiped the old women. - Means, good man was. God rest her! ... When the coffin was lowered into the grave, applause broke out. This is how only great artists are seen off.
BY THE WAY
A month before her death, Leontieva presented her things to the Ulyanovsk Museum of Local Lore - photographs, letters, an evening dress in which she received the TEFI television award on her 75th birthday. All of them took pride of place in the exposition.
The life of the legendary TV presenter is like a roller coaster - ups and downs. She made a dizzying career on Soviet television, but then it was very painful for her to fall from this peak ... And the star of the programs “Good night, kids!”, “With all my heart” and “Visiting a fairy tale” accidentally got into the “box”. In general, she could have died as a schoolgirl in the Leningrad blockade.
Universal love has always been easy for Valya. Even when the tall and slightly awkward Leningrad schoolgirl Alka was teased by the boys in love with Olifa. She was offended, not knowing the real reason for their attention, and often repeated: "I'll grow up and change my name!" But before that, the little girl Alevtina Torsons, together with the whole family, had to change her surname, inherited from her father's Swedish ancestors. This decision was made by the father, fearing Stalinist repressions. So they became the Leontiev family.
And then there was war and blockade, chilling soul 900 days filled with fear, cold, hunger and the fight against death. To survive at any cost, all means are good - from soup from a leather tablet to cigarettes "Asterisk" - the mother herself taught her daughters to smoke. She said she would want to eat less.
In 1942, the Road of Life was opened. The sisters and their mother were evacuated to the Ulyanovsk region. They left their hometown, leaving here the most precious thing that they once had - a happy childhood, youth, father and little son older sister. You won't get the last one back. They remained lying in the snowdrifts, having found eternal peace here.
Madam, bread!
The horrors of war forever hardened the character of Valentina, but did not deprive her of humanity, warmth and sincerity.
They first met in 1945 immediately after the Victory. Young Valechka with a long golden braid had just moved to Moscow to live with her aunt. Once she returned home along the bridge through the trench, which was dug by captured Germans. All dirty, skinny, with hungry eyes. One of the prisoners particularly shocked her - still quite a boy, he imploringly stretched out his trembling hands and whispered: "Madame, bread!" Thin aristocratic fingers, violinist's hands...
"May I feed one of the Germans lunch?" Valya asked the guard. He did not agree for a long time, and then waved his hand: take it!
Brought home, poured a bowl of soup. Thin hands impatiently grabbed the spoon, but his aristocratic upbringing, even in captivity, did not allow him to pounce on food in the presence of a woman. He ate slowly, did not raise his eyes - he was afraid. Then he got a little bolder and asked about his parents. "Dad died of starvation. Others too. Leningrad..." The German had tears in his eyes, he didn't finish his dinner, got up and left.
Several years have passed. One day the phone rang in their apartment. A stranger stood on the threshold - a handsome tall brown-haired man. Next to him is an elderly lady, as it turned out, mom. "You don't recognize me?" the man asked in broken Russian. She looked at his hands - the same captive boy with hungry eyes ...
It turned out that he had not forgotten that meeting. Patiently waiting for the opening iron curtain, bought a ticket to the USSR to come back to this apartment on the Arbat. And he took his mother with him not by chance. “I could not forget you, so I came with my mother to propose to you. Will you marry me?" She refused because she could not marry an enemy. “I will never forget that bowl of soup of yours - it turned my whole life upside down!” - the German said goodbye. His mother cried: "Baby, you yourself have no idea what you mean to me. You saved my son from starvation. I will thank you all my life!"
How many times later did Valentina hear words of gratitude! Years later, little Valya turned into an announcer of the Central Television of the USSR, a kind nationwide sorceress "Aunt Valya". Recognition, fame, love of the audience ... However, under the guise of external well-being, a woman with a difficult fate was hiding.
Through hardship to the stars
Leontieva got on television by accident at the age of 30. She needed money, and when she saw an ad for a group of CT announcers, she decided to take a chance. They didn’t take him as an announcer, but they offered him the position of assistant director. So she would have sat behind the scenes, if not for the case.
At that time, 2 announcers reigned on the Soviet air - Olga Chepurova and Nina Kondratova. But one day Kondratova fell ill, and Chepurova was not in Moscow, and Leontieva was instructed to conduct the transfer. From excitement, she read the text with difficulty, stuttering. Immediately after the debut, the chairman of the State Radio and Television called and ordered to remove "this" from the air, but Valya was defended by the announcer of the All-Union Radio Olga Vysotskaya. On April 16, 1954, Valentina was enlisted as part-time announcer. Chepurova died in the summer, a year later Kondratova severely injured her eye. The era of Valentina Leontieva has come.
She hosted everything: program guides, rural hour, live reports from the field, concerts, Blue Lights. One after another, her programs appear: "Alarm clock", "Skillful hands", "Good night, kids!", "Visiting a fairy tale" and, of course, "With all my heart", which in the West was called the first Soviet talk show .
Devotion to one's work, hard work, the ability to convey the material to the viewer, excellent memory and some special inner core - everything came together, giving rise to real phenomenon- announcer Valentin Leontiev. She easily established contact with the audience, and it seemed to everyone that the woman from the screen was addressing him personally. “Everything that I said, I felt, and did not play,” Leontieva said. “I never worked according to the script, there were no pieces of paper on my desk, everything went to improvisation.”
Yuri the first and Yuri the second
Personal life did not develop. Valya married twice. The first student marriage with aspiring director Yuri Richard broke up four years later due to her husband's infidelity. Earlier, returning home from a business trip, Leontieva found another woman in the apartment. She did not make a scandal, did not even wake up the doves. She packed her things and left forever.
With her second husband, diplomat Yuri Vinogradov, Leontieva met in one of the Moscow restaurants. An interesting brunette introduced himself as a foreigner named Eric and invited him to dance. All evening they communicated through an interpreter. In the morning the call rang and yesterday's foreigner in pure Russian apologized for the prank and admitted that he had been in love for a long time, but was afraid that the screen star would not want to communicate with a simple fan.
A few months later they got married, and a year later Mitya was born. She was almost forty. Leontieva was in seventh heaven with happiness - she had long dreamed of a child, but three days later went on the air again, shifting all the worries about the baby onto her mother's shoulders.
She tried to be a good wife and even went to New York with her husband for two years, but she was insanely homesick for work. Yuri adored his Valya, brought her expensive clothes and perfumes. But in the late sixties, Leontieva literally lived at work. The wife turned into a “TV box” with whom Yuri lived, talked and clinked glasses of champagne on New Year. The once cheerful man became withdrawn and irritable. After 16 years of marriage, Yuri left for another woman. He left without even saying goodbye.
At 54, Valentina was left alone. The teenage son blamed his mother for everything. Relations with Mitya Leontyeva did not work out since childhood. All the children of the country adored the host of "Calm", sent touching letters and drawings, and only her native son He didn't watch TV and hated TV with all his heart because it took his mother away from him.
Once, when she brought her son drawings of other children from the program "Visiting a Fairy Tale" and said: "Look, Mitenka, how beautifully other children draw," the boy had a tantrum. He tore the sheets and ran away.
Valentina spoiled her son, fulfilled all his whims, trying to somehow compensate for the lack of her attention. And Mitya was embarrassed by his star mother, jealous of her other children. Filling out a questionnaire for the military registration and enlistment office, he completely put a dash in the column "mother".
With faith in my soul
During the years of perestroika, a new generation of TV journalists came to television, Leontieva's programs were taken off the air. Out of pity and respect, she was not kicked out, but transferred as a consultant to the department of sign language interpreters.
In the late nineties, Leontyeva received an offer from Channel One to release a retrospective of the program "With all my heart", and she not only agreed, but even at her 74 years old went under the knife, having undergone plastic surgery. The result was amazing - the announcer looked 20 years younger, but the project, alas, was never launched.
In 2004, "Aunt Valya" was taken by ambulance to the Central Clinical Hospital with a concussion and a fracture of the femoral neck - she accidentally fell, slipping in the kitchen. She was helpless and could hardly move. Not wanting to be a burden to her son, Leontyeva moved to her sister Lyusya in the Ulyanovsk region in the village of Novoselki. During this time, Mitya never once visited his mother and even talked on the phone with coolness and reluctance.
And Valentina waited, looked at the photographs of her son for a long time and hoped to the last that her Mitenka would come, at least to say goodbye. He did not fulfill his last duty to his mother and did not even come to the funeral in May 2007.