Lilian Adriana Tintori Parra (born 5 May 1978) is a Venezuelan activist, athlete, and television and radio host. Tintori is the wife of Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan politician sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison for "inciting violence" during street protests the year before. She has also led groups who have opposed the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Early life and education Tintori was born in Caracas, Venezuela on May 5, 1978. Her mother is Venezuelan and her father is of Italian descent. She studied at Merici Academy. She earned a bachelor's degree in preschool education with a minor in political communications from the Andrés Bello Catholic University. Career Entertainment In 2001, Tintori was part of the reality TV Show Robinson: La Gran Aventura. The show was a big success in Venezuela. Even though Tintori did not win, this experience helped her build a career in the entertainment industry. Tintori was a television host for RCTV and Televen, a former radio personality for La Mega, Hot 94 and Ateneo 100.7. Eventually, Tintori's face was seen on billboards in Venezuela. Tintori was Venezuela's 2003 Kitesurfing National Champion and is the founder of the Prokite Foundation, which works to provide kitesurfing gear to unprivileged kitesurfers. Tintori is also an ambassador for the Socieven Association, which works to raise awareness of the plight of the deaf and blind. She also works with the BFC Foundation for its violence against women campaign and with the Young Foundation for Human Rights. Human rights Following the arrest of her husband during the 2014 Venezuelan protests, Tintori became a face of Venezuela's opposition movement. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, she denied interest in politics while telling The Atlantic that "Leopoldo is the politician ... I’m a human-rights activist, a Venezuelan, a mother, and a victim myself, and I’m very close to the victims of my country". She traveled internationally to meet with individuals such as United States vice president Joe Biden, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy and Pope Francis, to seek assistance with the releasing her husband and other political prisoners in Venezuela. President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro sees Tintori as a threat and has called for her work to be "neutralized" and described her as a "terrorist". According to Tintori, Venezuelan authorities often follow her and intimidate her daily. While visiting her husband López in prison, she, as well as her