Máximo Huerta Hernández (born 26 January 1971), also known as Màxim Huerta,[1][2] is a Spanish journalist, writer, television celebrity and former politician. [3]

Máximo Huerta
Minister of Culture and Sport
In office
6 June 2018 – 13 June 2018
MonarchFelipe VI
Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez
Preceded byÍñigo Méndez de Vigo
Succeeded byJosé Guirao
Personal details
Born (1971-01-26) 26 January 1971 (age 53)
Utiel, Spain
Alma materCEU San Pablo University

In June 2018 he was appointed by PM Pedro Sánchez to the post of the Minister of Culture and Sport of the first Sánchez government, and resigned one week later after it was revealed that he had committed tax fraud in 2006–2008.[3][4]

Biography

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Early life and career

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Huerta was born in Utiel, Valencia, as Máximo Huerta Hernández.[5][6] He graduated in Information Sciences from the CEU San Pablo University and has a Master's Degree in Graphic Design and Editorial Illustration from the Istituto Europeo di Design. He started his career working in radio stations and newspapers in the Valencian Community: RNE's Radio 5 in Utiel and Radio Buñol, or Valencia 7 días and Las Provincias.[7]

Career in television

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Huerta first worked in television in 1997, when he joined the regional channel Canal Nou to present and edit the news programmes Informatiu Metropolità and the night edition of Informatiu. There, he was advised to change his name to Màxim to sound more Valencian.[6] He began to work for Telecinco in 2000, presenting and editing the channel's regional programme for the Valencian Community. A year later, Huerta was promoted to the nationwide airtime and became one of the news anchors of Informativos Telecinco, where he remained for five years.[8]

In 2005, Huerta became one of the co-hosts of the morning television show El programa de Ana Rosa hosted by Ana Rosa Quintana. He was part of the show for ten years, until September 2015.[9]

In 2016, Huerta presented the travel documentary series Destinos de película, for Televisión Española (TVE).[9]

In 2019, Huerta returned to TVE to host the daytime talk show A partir de hoy.[10] In 2020, he participated in the music game show Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta as Gamba.

In 2021, Huerta joined the regional channel À Punt to host the magazine show Bona vesprada.[11]

In 2022, Huerta, along with Alaska and Inés Hernand, hosted the first edition of Benidorm Fest, a song competition to determine Spain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.[12]

Career as a writer

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Huerta has authored nine novels —Que sea la última vez que me llamas Reina de la Tele (2009), El susurro de la caracola (2011), Una tienda en París (2012), La noche soñada (2014), No me dejes (Ne me quitte pas) (2015), La parte escondida del iceberg (2017), Firmamento (2018), Con el amor bastaba (2020), and Adiós, pequeño (2022) —, a travel book —Mi lugar en el mundo eres tú—, a children's book —Elsa y el mar—, and two illustrated books —El escritor and Partir de cero—.[7] La noche soñada was awarded the 2014 Premio Primavera, and Adiós, pequeño was awarded the 2022 Premio de Novela Fernando Lara.[13][14]

Minister of Culture and Sport

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In 2018, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, elected Huerta as Minister of Culture and Sport.[15] His appointment was criticized by some members of the public due to his previous tweets in which he had said, for example, that he hated sport.[16] He resigned seven days after being appointed due to the revelation of a 2017 sentence that forced him to pay a €365,928 sanction for tax fraud committed in the years 2006–2008 with the use of shell companies.[3][17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Gobiernos por legislaturas. XII Legislatura (desde junio de 2018)". lamoncloa.gob.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Real Decreto 357/2018, de 6 de junio, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (138). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado: 58729. 7 June 2018. ISSN 0212-033X.
  3. ^ a b c "Spain's new culture minister resigns over tax fraud after just one week". The Local.es. 14 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Màxim Huerta dimite como ministro de Cultura por su fraude fiscal y dice ser víctima de "una jauría"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  5. ^ Yotele, Redacción (25 March 2019). "Máxim Huerta le explica a Risto Mejide por qué ha decidido cambiarse de nombre". El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b "¿Por qué Màxim Huerta se ha cambiado el nombre?". Las Provincias (in Spanish). 30 October 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b Huerta, Màxim. "Bio - Màxim Huerta". maximhuerta.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Màxim Huerta, ministro de Cultura y Deporte del Gobierno de Pedro Sánchez". El Diario (in Spanish). 6 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  9. ^ a b Cirbián, Txerra (8 September 2016). "Los 'Destinos de película' de Màxim Huerta". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  10. ^ "TVE recupera el espíritu de 'Amigas y conocidas' por las mañanas con Màxim Huerta". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Máximo Huerta presenta 'Bona vesprada' en À Punt: "TVE quería que hiciera un prime time y he dicho que no"". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 7 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Ya tenemos fechas del Benidorm Fest: ¿cuándo se elegirá la canción de Eurovisión?". rtve.es (in Spanish). RTVE. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Màxim Huerta, feliz: ha ganado el Premio Primavera de novela" (in Spanish). Semana. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Máximo Huerta, ganador del XXVII Premio Fernando Lara por su novela 'Adiós, pequeño'" (in Spanish). 20 Minutos. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Màxim Huerta, nuevo ministro de Cultura y Deportes". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Màxim Huerta: Los polémicos mensajes en Twitter del nuevo ministro". El Periódico (in Spanish). 6 June 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Màxim Huerta defraudó a Hacienda 218.322 euros a través de una sociedad limitada entre 2006 y 2008". El Diario (in Spanish). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  18. ^ Redacción. "Màxim Huerta dimite tras siete días de ministro por su fraude a Hacienda". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 June 2018.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Culture and Sport
2018
Succeeded by