• Disney+ Isabel Preysler opens the doors of her home like never before in the Christmas special
  • El Hormiguero Isabel Preysler's Ironclad Rules at the Table: "It Doesn't Look Elegant"

On November 7, Disney+ announced Isabel Preysler's first series with great fanfare. A production that, according to them, would show "up close" how the aristocrat "lives one of the most important times of the year". According to her press release, Isabel "would open the doors of her home like never before to show, in detail, all the preparations." But almost none of that is true...

Isabel Preysler: My Christmas is nothing more than a show that tries to humanize the celeb with the hook of the end-of-year holidays. In fact, at the end of the two episodes, the Filipina hasn't even gotten around to celebrating Christmas. What's more, in the final scene she appears completely alone, not even accompanied by her daughters Tamara Falcó and Ana Boyer, who live in Madrid.

"If I had to make just one wish for this Christmas, I would ask for all wars to stop. That would be beautiful, wouldn't it? That all wars would stop and that we could all celebrate Christmas in harmony. Hopefully it will come true and all the children will be able to enjoy Christmas," she says, in true Miss Universe style, as she lets herself be illuminated by the glow of a tree surrounded by gifts whose recipients are unknown.

Then... What does the documentary show over the course of more than 78 minutes? Mostly, Preysler's accounts of crucial moments in her life, such as her arrival in Spain or the beginning of her romance with Julio Iglesias. The documentary begins on an ordinary morning at Isabel's house and, for the curious, the socialite reveals some of her secrets. Among them: that she eats grapefruit for breakfast and that she likes to eat alone. But it's not that Isabel is lonely.

In fact, Presyler demonstrates how open she is in the following seconds, when she introduces her service members: a maid, a cook, a butler, and a chauffeur, with whom she acts in the first forced scene of the series. Isabel asks Raphael to take her somewhere. However, it doesn't explain where it's going. They just both get in the car, and as soon as Preysler slumps into the seat, a question arises.

Isabel Preysler and Ana Boyer, on the set of their documentary. DISNEY+

"Are there photographers outside?" she asks, very worried. Rafael replies that he doesn't. But when you open the doors of Villa Meona, as her house is often called, you see a reporter who doesn't seem to have the slightest interest in her. What does Isabel do then? He worries even more. "Ugh, let's run. They're there with artichokes. Do you follow us? The bad thing about this house is that they follow everybody," he says. However, there is absolutely no persecution.

Isabel then informs her driver that she needs to visit cosmetics expert Massi Massumeh and asks her to please stop by the Castellana... But only to say "I lived there." "That's where my house was, with my aunt and uncle, when I arrived in Madrid, at the age of 18. When I arrived I felt freedom, because at parties in the Philippines I always had to be accompanied by a chaperone. It was a terrible thing," he says.

For several minutes, Isabel talks to Rafa about her adolescence. Apparently it's the first time he's told her his biography, so everything he says sounds like a scoop. Preysler even makes dramatic pauses to provoke expectation and does not hesitate to reveal his first moments with the interpreter of I am a scoundrel, I am a gentleman. "The day we met, he had it all planned," she says.

It's hard to believe Rafael has never heard that story. Subsequently, the driver confesses that he has been working at the Preysler house for more than a decade. In addition, the employee says that he loved Miguel Boyer very much and that Isabel is a good employer. Minutes later, the cook repeats a similar speech, which unfolds without further justification. Suddenly, the Paraguayan appears on the scene and verbalizes how great Isabel Preysler is.

Isabel Preysler, in a promotional image for her documentary. DISNEY+

"The lady is a very good person and, to be honest, she always cares about us. When I went to Paraguay in 2015, my mother died. Then the lady called me and gave me my vacation for the following year, which doesn't normally happen in a house. And I'm very grateful," says Ramona without a hint of emotion. She seems bored and even forced to promote how charitable Tamara's mother is.

Preysler then replies matter-of-factly that generosity is indeed her greatest virtue and then, as an expert in self-aggrandizement, she continues to throw flowers at herself. "I'm like that with them, because they've always worked very well. How are you going to show them, in addition to the affection with which you treat them, that you appreciate their effort? Being generous and trying to give them gifts that I'm sure they can like," she says.

And when it comes to self-promotion, Isabel Preysler wastes no time. She states on countless occasions that her greatest pride is having raised five good people and that, although she has had some love conflicts, she has been a great role model. "I think that, despite the divorces, my children have always been able to see a good example at home," she says, very confident.

Likewise, Preysler talks about his love for the late Boyer, his family, his relationship with Chábeli, Julio José and Enrique -all three of whom live in the US-, his fear of growing old, how much fun he has at his film club and, finally, some Christmases. Of course, when the documentary dives into the Christmas theme that gives it its title, Tamara Falcó and Ana Boyer make stellar appearances each, apparently moved, especially when talking about their close and affectionate relationship with the "super minister".

Despite all the preparation, the long-awaited moment of Christmas dinner never arrives: Falcó and Ramona prepare soufflés, the service replaces the chopped glasses, Ana chooses the crockery and the table is prepared... But the family never gets to sit down at the table. Isabel simply chats with her interviewer and the production ends abruptly. There are no gifts, no carols, no Christmas Eve. The Isabel Preysler of the real world will have one: it will be in Miami, surrounded by her family, on the 24th... And the celebrity is already excited.

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