María Celeste Arrarás (born 27 September 1960 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico), better known as María Celeste, is a Puerto Rican broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Arrarás was selected for the cover of "Newsweek" magazine, who named her as one of the “20 Most Powerful Women” of the next generation of leaders. Arrarás has won three Emmy Awards for journalism. Currently, Arrarás serves as the host and managing editor of Al Rojo Vivo con María Celeste, which airs in the U.S. and in 15 Latin American countries, and has a daily audience of 35 million viewers.
María Celeste Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, the first child of José Enrique Arrarás, a respected politician, lawyer, and educator, and Astrid Mangual, a homemaker and chemist. The family later grew, with Arrarás has eight siblings, including two born from her mother’s remarriage.
In 1971, she won three medals (one gold, one silver, and one bronze) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships. She qualified to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, but was unable to compete after she contracted infectious mononucleosis.