Ana Elena Noreña Grass was born in Mexico City on October 10th, 1944.
She was the eldest child of Manuel Noreña, a car salesman, and Elena
Grass, housewife. When she was a little girl, her father decided to
move to Tijuana, Baja, California, at the very north of Mexico. Soon
after, her mom was offered a job as a housekeeper in Los Angeles,
California. Anel was only fifteen years old when she found herself
working at a mansion in Beverly Hills. While working there she met a
lot of Hollywood stars, but she was not happy. She felt she did not
belong there and did not have any friends. Besides, she had been
gaining weight and was a chubby teenager. The owner of the mansion took
her to her doctor who prescribed her diet pills. She slimmed down and
the weight loss showed a beautiful woman. She decided to enter Miss
Mexico contest at Los Angeles and won first place. The award included a
trip to Mexico City, Acapulco and Queretaro. That's when her luck
changed for good.
When she got to México the doors to stardom opened in Mexican
television. She started dating wealthy men and got pregnant but decided
to have an abortion. Then she met Mexican singer Jose Jose. Although he
left her to marry Kikis Herrera Calles she forgave him and soon after
he divorced Kikis they got married. In 1975 the couple's first child was
born. They named him after Jose. In 1982 their second child, daughter
Marisol was born.
But happiness did not come along. Anel had to deal with husband alcohol
problems. She started fighting with her weight once again. After 15
years of marriage, they finally divorced in 1990. During her marriage
she did't work at all, but soon after their divorce she had to start
working again.
