For 28 years, Pennington served as a model on The Price Is Right, handing the microphone to Bob Barker at the start of more than 6,000 shows. She also handed off to Dennis James and Tom Kennedy while the show was in syndication in 1972-77 and 1985-86, respectively.
Pennington was born in Seattle, Washington. She has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Glenn Jacobson; her second was to German mountain climber Friedrich "Fritz" Stammberger, who disappeared in Afghanistan in 1975 while mountain climbing.
After years of searching, she finally discovered that Fritz was actually helping the CIA establish mountain bases along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and had died during a battle with USSR forces. In 1984, she married Writer Carlos de Abreu, a native of Mozambique.
In June 1988, a camera hit Pennington and she fell off the stage. She was unconscious and was taken to a hospital; taping of the episode resumed after 45 minutes. Pennington's resulting surgery left her with scars and one shoulder shorter than the other, so she could no longer wear swimsuits on the show.
When Pearson Television took over the show October 19, 2000, Pennington's employment ended following taping of the December 13 episode. She signed a confidential settlement agreement.
