Thursday January 25, 2001

EXTRA Profile: Bridgette Wilson

In "The Wedding Planner," Bridgette Wilson-Sampras plays a bride who's thinking twice about walking down the aisle with her fiancée, played by Matthew McConaughey. But when Bridgette wed tennis star Pete Sampras this past September, she had no doubts that he was the man for her. She says, "I love my life, to find the man of my dreams really tops it off."

We thought it might be fun to remind Bridgette just how far she's come in a few short years. It was 1990, our host Leeza Gibbons was the M.C. and Bridgette was Miss Teen USA. That was ten years ago. Now she's 27 and is on her way to having it all. A blossoming Hollywood career and a successful, high profile marriage.

Leeza: Does he critique your performance?

Bridgette: The only times he gets involved is when I'm begging him, 'will you read this scene with me I have to memorize it?'

Leeza: Do you hit balls with him in exchange for that?

Bridgette: Ah no, I could try, but I don't want to be on the end of that serve.

They met in true Hollywood fashion. Two years ago, Sampras saw Bridgette star in a black comedy called "Love Stinks" and decided he wanted to meet her. She says, "Of course I recognized his face from seeing it before. But it was the closest thing to a blind date for me."

So what's missing in Bridgette's life? Well nothing really, except maybe a family. Being a mom is a role she's wanted to play for a long time.