Eva Longoria and Tony Parker on Oprah
Eva grew up with her three sisters on their family’s ranch deep in the heart of Texas. Her mother is a special education teacher and cares for Eva’s oldest sister, Elizabeth, who is mentally challenged. Eva says her parents (pictured above) made a lot of sacrifices for all their daughters. They would go without air conditioning and heat in order to make sure they had money for cheerleading or music lessons. Even though they didn’t have a lot of money, Eva says, “I never knew we were that poor … because [we] grew up with a lot of love and my family’s really close.”Since her newfound success, Eva fulfilled a lifelong dream when she bought her parents a big new house. “Every day [my mom] wakes up and says, ‘I feel like I won the lottery!’” says Eva. There’s only one problem: Eva doesn’t want her parents to furnish their new house the same way they decorated their ranch. “My mom only buys furniture that requires an instruction kit and an Allen wrench,” Eva says. And because her dad enjoys hunting, his idea of decorating involves deer head trophies.
Nate creates an interior reflective of the Longorias’ Mexican heritage, filled with bright colors, terra cotta tile, iron accents, pottery, and leather furniture. Eva’s parents love it! “I feel like I’m in Mexico,” says Eva’s mom. “It’s great…it’s wonderful!”
To give the kitchen a fresh new look, Nate had the original cabinets painted and distressed. The counter tops are made from the aptly named Wild West green granite from Lowe’s. Eva’s parents have never had a dishwasher. Now, their kitchen is loaded with state-of-the-art GE appliances.The best part about the makeover, says Eva, is giving something back to her parents. “My parents never get to experience everyday life with me so they don’t really know,” she says. “So this was the closest thing I could give to them to be touched by you, to be touched by Nate, to be touched by things I’m touched by every day.”
To express their gratitude, Eva and Tony present Oprah’s Angel Network with a $50,000 donation to sponsor a Katrina Home from Oprah’s Katrina Homes Registry.
Eva and Tony first met after a Spurs game, when she and her dad were invited back to the team’s pressroom to meet the players. Eva had spent a summer in Paris, and says she was instantly attracted to Tony’s French accent. The two hit it off, and Tony asked Eva and her father to join him for dinner.The whole time, Eva says Tony didn’t realize “who” he was chatting with until the next day at brunch: “He was the last person on earth who hadn’t seen Desperate Housewives!” Eva has since brought Tony up to speed on her TV show, as well as schooling him on all things Oprah. “We have the 20th Anniversary DVD,” Eva explains. “We watched all six in a row!”
Tony also comments on their mutual love for their families. “I really thought she was very beautiful inside and had a good heart,” says Tony. “She’s very family oriented, and me…I love my family and my friends. … She’s the same way.”
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