From her grandfather's circus at age 3 to Balão Mágico, from Xuxa's rival on SBT to beating a 9 cm cancer: the story of Simony, who sings 'É Tão Lindo' with Eliana this Sunday

This Sunday (11), Simony joins host Eliana on 'Em Família com Eliana' to sing 'É Tão Lindo', a 1980s hit by Turma do Balão Mágico, in a Children's Day tribute that is part of Globo's Hope Marathon. It is a return to her roots: Simony Benelli Galasso, born in São Paulo on July 1, 1976, grew up in a family of singers who lived in her grandfather's circus, and by age 3 she was already performing on Raul Gil's show.

In 1983 she was invited to join Globo's 'Balão Mágico' alongside Fofão, Tob, Mike and, later, Jairzinho — the group, active from 1982 to 1986, led the ratings and scored hits such as 'Mãe Me Dá um Dinheirinho' and 'Você e Eu'. When she reached adolescence, the record label removed her from the band; Jairzinho stayed with her, and the two formed one of the best-known duos of the 1980s. In 1989 SBT gave her 'Show da Simony', designed to compete with 'Xou da Xuxa', but the program was hit by the network's financial crisis the following year.

Her career had ups and downs: in 1997 she stepped away from the spotlight for about three years because of panic disorder, returned in 2001 with the album 'Simplesmente Eu' and later released 'Celebração' to mark 25 years in music. A mother of four — Ryan, Aysha, Pyetra and Anthony — she also faced the hardest chapter of her life in public: bowel cancer, with a nine-centimeter tumor, which showed signs of activity again in 2023 and required new treatment, including immunotherapy.

On March 31, 2026, Simony celebrated on social media: oncologist Fernando Maluf confirmed that a PET scan showed complete remission. 'A nine-centimeter cancer that had no cure,' she summed up at the time. Now, back to the repertoire that made her famous as a child, the singer is also on the judging panel of the 'Show em Família' segment, alongside Lucy Ramos and Henrique Barreira, on the same program.