Curiosidades

Her trademark "cuchi, cuchi" comes from her nickname for her dog, Cuchillo (Spanish for "knife"): "When Cuchillo was happy, he wiggled. I copied him and I used to say 'como Cuchi, como Cuchi'. Everybody thought that it was very cute when I wiggled and say cuchi-cuchi, and they give me cookies and candy. Now every time I say cuchi-cuchi, people give me money.".

Fluent in Spanish (native language), English, French, Italian and Japanese.

When she was 14, she won a scholarship to study classical guitar with Andrés Segovia.

Was winner of Guitar Player magazine's Readers Poll as Best Flamenco Guitarist two years in a row.

Her father was a lawyer who was exiled to Casablanca during the Franco dictatorship, returning only when Franco died.

Attended the Catholic Convent of the Sacred Heart, where she began playing guitar at age 9.

Cugat brought the then 16 year old Charo and her mother and sister to America on a student visa after he discovered her, but she had to return to Spain and wait two years to come back because she was a minor.

Charo long maintained that her stated date of birth was incorrect due to a "clerical error". Official documents in Spain and the United States maintained she was born on March 13, 1941, but Charo argued she was actually younger. In 1977, she went to court, and was able to successfully convince a Los Angeles judge, Roger Foley, to rule that her correct date of birth was January 15, 1951. This would have made her 15 at the time of her marriage, and the legitimacy of this date is widely questioned.

Married Xavier Cugat at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Became a United States citizen in 1977.

Was considered for the role of Eva Perón in Evita (1996), which went to Madonna.

Received the Distinguished Career Award from Hispanic Exhibitor and Distributor.

Has returned to Las Vegas, Nevada to star in her own song/dance show. (noviembre de 2001)

Regarding the disputes about her date of birth, on The Merv Griffin Show Season 3 Episode 242 Airdate August 11, 1966, it was stated that Charo was 21 years old (putting her birth year as 1945).

Her son, Shel Rasten, was a philosophy major at the University of Southern California (USC).

Her mother was a homemaker and stage mother.