She began modelling at age 22, before becoming a television presenter for the Portuguese youth television show
Sic Altamente, on channel
SIC. She made her acting debut in the Portuguese
telenovela Saber Amar, which aired on the Portuguese television station
TVI. She continued her telenovela appearances for the station. In 2005, Rita Pereira reached nationwide fame for her portrayal of
Soraia Rochinha in the second season of TVI's
Morangos com Açúcar. She later guest starred in the series
Uma Aventura as
Lucy in the episode
Noite das Bruxas (Halloween) on SIC. Other roles include Maria Estrela in the 2006 telenovela
Doce Fugitiva, Diana in
Casos de Vida in 2008, and
Alice Santos in
Feitiço de Amor in 2008/2009. Rita participated in several philanthropic efforts, including an event in
Funchal to help the victims of the
2010 Madeira floods and mudslides. In 2009, Pereira starred as Mel Fontes in
Meu Amor alongside
Rodrigo Menezes, which won the 2010
International Emmy Award for the Best telenovela. Meu Amor was the first Portuguese telenovela to win an Emmy. She used to present the Portuguese singing contest
Canta Comigo and in 2011, was
Helena Borges in the telenovela
Remédio Santo on TVI. In 2013, she was Fernanda Moreira in the telenovela
Destinos Cruzados on TVI. She was a contestant on season 1 of Portuguese Dancing with the Stars, paired with Pedro Borralho. In 2015 and 2016, Rita was judge on
Pequenos Gigantes, a Portuguese talent-show. In 2015 and 2016 she played Luena da Silva in
A Única Mulher and in 2017 she was Madalena Alvarenga in
A Herdeira. Both A Única Mulher and A Herdeira were the most watched telenovelas in Portugal in the time they aired. ==References==