Blogger Lercek. Biography

Valeria Chekalina (Lerchek) is a Russian blogger and TV presenter. Details of the blogger's biography can be found in the Izvestia article.

Early years and education

Valeria Chekalina was born on October 6, 1992 in Tolyatti. She has a younger brother, Rodion. Their father passed away in 2001. The children were raised by Elvira's mother, who later remarried, but this marriage did not last long.

She graduated from high school with a gold medal, after which she entered Moscow State University. She received her Bachelor's degree in 2013 and completed her Master's degree in Economics in 2015.

Career and media activities

Since 2018, Chekalina has been developing a blog dedicated to fitness and lifestyle, where she publishes workouts and conducts weight loss marathons. By 2021, her audience on Instagram (owned by Meta, a recognized extremist organization in Russia) exceeded 9 million subscribers. According to Forbes, she became one of the highest-paid bloggers in Russia, taking seventh place with an income of about $ 600 thousand.

Chekalina has launched a blog selling courses, also called marathons, on weight loss and proper nutrition. Lercek promised the marathon participants to find their dream figure in just a few weeks, following her instructions. Later, she also began offering "money marathons" that talked about how to launch your business, promote online platforms, and make a profit in a short time. Prizes were awarded in the marathon finals: money, cars, smartphones, and apartments.

In addition to her online activities, Chekalina participated in television projects. In 2021, she starred in the TV series "The Green Mayor", and also led the column "Oh, moms" on the MUZ-TV channel. After the restrictions of Instagram in Russia in 2022, it transferred its activity to the Telegram messenger, where it quickly gained a large audience.

The criminal case against the Chekalins

In March 2023, a criminal case was opened against Valeria and her husband Artyom for tax evasion in the amount of about 300 million rubles. According to the investigation, Lercek, being an individual entrepreneur, used a simplified taxation system that could only be used with an income of up to 150 million rubles per year. At the same time, the real amount of family income was higher.

A few days later, on March 16, the Chekalins were accused of legalizing more than 130 million rubles obtained by criminal means. The court banned the blogger from using the Internet, mail and mobile communications.

In November 2023, lawyer Lercek stated that the couple had paid about 500 million rubles to the Federal Tax Service, fully repaying the debt. On December 29, 2023, the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation closed the tax evasion case, while refusing to terminate the money laundering proceedings. On January 15, 2024, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, announced that the Chekalins had admitted their guilt and fully paid the tax arrears, penalties and a fine in the amount of 504 million rubles, so the investigation was stopped.

However, on October 2, 2024, a new criminal case was opened against Lercek and her ex-husband. They, along with an accomplice, were suspected of illegally withdrawing more than 250 million rubles from Russia to Dubai using forged documents (art. 193.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). They sold fitness marathon courses to Russians, and then transferred funds in foreign currency or rubles to non-resident accounts using forged documents.

According to the investigation, the Chekalins used the services of Dubai banks, and the payment was made through a link to the UAE bank.

Chekalina's divorce from her husband Artyom

Since 2012, Chekalin has been married to Artem Chekalin. Three children were born in the family: twins Alice and Bogdan, as well as a son Lev. In March 2024, Lercek filed for divorce. In May, the couple signed a prenuptial agreement, which was used to resolve a property dispute and the issue of determining the place of residence of their children.

Artyom later confirmed the couple's separation. Lawyer Ekaterina Gordon, representing the interests of both sides, noted that within the framework of the established agreements, the children remained with Valeria, but the couple is raising them together. In addition, the Chekalins' property was divided in almost equal shares. Among the couple's jointly acquired property, four apartments were found in Moscow and two in Tolyatti, two cottages in the Moscow region and several luxury cars, including a Bentley Continental GT.

Relationship with Luis Squicciarini

While under investigation, Chekalina gave birth to her fourth child with 37-year-old Argentine choreographer Luis Squicciarini on February 26, 2026. In November 2025, she confirmed the news of her pregnancy with her new lover, arriving with him at a court hearing in Moscow in the case of the withdrawal of more than 250 million rubles from Russia.

Rumors about the couple's relationship began to appear back in 2024. A few years earlier, Chekalina had started taking Argentine tango lessons and joined Squicciarini's class. Later, they began to be seen relaxing together in a nightclub and in a hookah bar. In addition, the choreographer often appeared on Lercek's blog, but the couple did not officially confirm their relationship.

The blogger herself noted that the divorce from Artem Chekalin occurred not because of a new relationship, but against the background of court proceedings and restrictions related to a criminal case.

Diagnosis

On March 8, 2027, Squicciarini announced that the blogger had malignant cancer cells and metastases in his lungs. Lercek's health deteriorated sharply after giving birth.

At that time, Chekalina had already undergone numerous examinations aimed at identifying the cause of the disease, and also underwent spinal surgery due to the destruction of several vertebrae.

Beloved Lercek noted that the girl experienced pain during pregnancy, and after being discharged from the hospital, they returned almost immediately. According to him, back in 2025, during his house arrest, the blogger and his lawyers applied for permission to visit a doctor, but the investigators and the court refused.

A few days later, on March 11, Lercek began undergoing intensive chemotherapy at the State Cancer Center. On March 12, Chekalina was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer with metastases in her spine, legs, and lungs.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.