Allison Sweeney

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

Allison Sweeney is an actress and television host, who is recently best known as the host of NBC's reality television show The Biggest Loser. Sweeney rose to fame as a soap opera actress.

Allison Sweeney

Allison Sweeney Early Biography

Allison Sweeney was born on September 19, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. She has been acting since she was a child, appearing in a variety of television commercials and print advertisements.

Sweeney earned small roles in popular sitcoms and television dramas, including:

Simon and Simon
Webster
St. Elsewhere
American Playhouse
Tales from the Darkside

Days of Our Lives

In 1993, Sweeney took on the role of Samantha (Sami) Brady in the popular daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. She was also featured in the brief prime time spin off in the same year, called Days of Our Lives: Night Sins.

Fans immediately took to Allison Sweeney and her character, and she is still an active cast member on the show. She has earned six Soap Opera Digest Awards for her work on Days, as well as a Daytime Emmy in 2002, for "America's Favorite Villain."

In addition to Sami Brady, Sweeney also played the character of Colleen Brady, Sami's great-aunt. The character was portrayed in a series of flashbacks, until she re-emerged in a kidnapping case that led to the elderly Colleen being played by an older actress.

Since landing this role on Days of Our Lives, Sweeney has also made guest appearances on the series Friends and Las Vegas.

Allison Sweeney on The Biggest Loser

Sweeney has struggled with her weight in the past, and although she was never obese, she felt pressure being an active Hollywood actress who was overweight.

In 2007, she took over as the host of The Biggest Loser, which had previously been hosted by comedian and actress Caroline Rhea. Sweeney was seen as more sympathetic to the contestants, considering her own struggle with weight loss in the past.

Allison Sweeney continues to host The Biggest Loser, which takes overweight contestants and offers them eating and exercise plans in order to lose weight. The show is a competition style reality TV program, with one person leaving each week until an eventual winner is crowned.

Other Television Appearances

Sweeney has become popular on the celebrity game and reality show circuit, and has appeared on such programs as:

Hollywood Squares
Fear Factor
The Weakest Link
The $100,000 Pyramid
Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Cooking Showdown
1 vs. 100
Wheel of Fortune

Sweeney was also a presenter at the first annual GSN Game Show Awards.

She is also a regular talk show guest, and has been on the following daytime and evening talk shows:

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Sharon Osbourne Show
Good Day Live
The Tyra Banks Show
Rachael Ray
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The View
The Bonnie Hunt Show
The Ellen Degeneres Show

Marriage and Family

Allison Sweeney is married to David Sanov, a California policeman. They met on the set of Days of Our Lives, when Sanov played a small part as a police officer. They married on July 8, 2000.

Sweeney and Sanov have two children; a boy, Benjamin Edward, who was born on February 25, 2005, and a girl, Megan Hope, born on January 12, 2009.

Allison Sweeney Trivia and Fun Facts

Here are some more interesting facts about Allison Sweeney.

Sweeney has suffered from allergies throughout her life, and now works with the Pharmacists Association to raise awareness for allergy sufferers.
She is the middle child in her family, with two brothers.
After her daughter Megan was born, Sweeney was back on the set of The Biggest Loser within eight days.
She is very active, with daily home workouts, and hobbies that include kick-boxing, swimming, and gymnastics.
She has co-hosted a segment of the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon, which raises money and awareness for Muscular Dystrophy.