Vanna White’s son is spinning his wheels over his good fortune online.
Fans of White, 67, dubbed her eldest child, Nikko Santo Pietro, 30, a heartthrob after their cooking video on Instagram went viral this week.
Now, Nikko is calling the attention “flattering.”
“Obviously I had an outpour from her fans just really being kind and saying all kinds of interesting stuff in the comments,” the real estate agent told Entertainment Tonight in an interview. “I’ve always loved being in front of the camera, and I work really hard on my social media that’s a big part of what I do, so it feels natural and good.”
However, Nikko, who White shares with her ex-husband, George Santo Pietro, knows what really matters in life amid all of the chatter about his looks.
“People see me as this heartthrob and they’re thirsty for me and all this stuff,” he explained. “I love it all, but at the same time, it’s really good to remember the meaningful things in life and just kind of dial it back, doing a lot of charity work, working hard every day.”
“That’s what it is to me,” he added. “Making an impact.”
But when it comes to Nikko’s relationship status, the television host’s son is off the market.
“I have an amazing girlfriend,” he gushed to the outlet. “She’s an absolute sweetheart. She’s a singer-songwriter. We’ve been together for a year. She wrote a song about me. It’s really sweet that she did that.”
He teased that his girlfriend, Easae, whose hit song “Karaoke” is about him, “obviously detected the heartthrob thing before America did.”
White, who also shares daughter Giovanna “Gigi” Santo Pietro, 27, with her ex is especially proud of the way Nikko has conducted himself through this newfound buzz.
“I absolutely love that,” the ABC star said. “It touches my heart so much. He’s such a good kid. It makes me feel good. Growing up, he didn’t get everything he asked for. I always taught both of my children that you have to work hard for things.”
While Nikko is sticking with his day job, White is open to seeing her son make a cameo on “Wheel of Fortune.”
White said she “would love that” and promised to ask her producers to make it happen, while Nikko shared he’d “love to participate at some level.”
