Luann de Lesseps

Luann de Lesseps[1] (born LuAnn Nadeau; born May 17, 1965)[2][3][4] is an American television personality, model, author, and singer. In 1993, she married French entrepreneur and aristocrat Count Alexandre de Lesseps; they divorced in 2009 but she retained the courtesy title "countess" until her remarriage in 2016. In 2008, de Lesseps came to prominence after being cast in the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, which documents the lives of several women residing in New York City. Luann began headlining "Countess and Friends," a cabaret show of her own making, in 2018.[5]

Luann de Lesseps
de Lesseps in New York, 2011
Born
LuAnn Nadeau

(1965-05-17) May 17, 1965
Other namesLuann D’Agostino
Occupation
  • Author
  • model
  • licensed practical nurse
  • television personality
  • singer
Years active2008–present
TelevisionThe Real Housewives of New York City
Spouse(s)
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 2009)​
      Thomas D’ Agostino Jr.
      ​
      ​
      (m. 2016; div. 2017)​
      ChildrenNoel de Lesseps
      Victoria de Lesseps
      Websitewww.countessluann.com

      Early life

      Born LuAnn Nadeau, she was raised in Berlin, Connecticut, where she grew up with her six siblings, and where her father owned a construction company.[4][6] She has said her father is of Algonquin and French descent and that her mother is French Canadian.[7][8] In the last episode of RHONY set in Morocco Afton, (Season 4, episode 10, "Last Call, Morocco!", airdate June 9, 2011), de Lesseps shared that she had captained her high school varsity softball team.

      Career

      De Lesseps was formerly a licensed practical nurse in Connecticut,[4] as well as a Wilhelmina model.[9][10]

      She is one of the main cast members on Bravo's reality series The Real Housewives of New York City. In season 6 she was demoted to a recurring "Friend of the Housewives" role due to not living in New York City at the time of filming. In April 2015, it was confirmed that de Lesseps would be returning as a main cast member for the show's seventh season. She has been considered a favorite among fans with some calling her “one of the best housewives of all time.”

      In February 2011, de Lesseps guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode "Bully", playing a socialite who makes a gruesome discovery.[11][12][13]

      De Lesseps wrote a book, Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair (published by Gotham Books) released April 16, 2009,[14] and released her first record, "Money Can't Buy You Class" (through Ultra Records), on May 25, 2010. She released her second single, "Chic, C'est La Vie" in June 2011.[15] She released a third single, "Girl Code", on July 6, 2015. In June 2019, De Lesseps released her fourth single, "Feeling Jovani".[16] In September 2020, she released her fifth single, "Viva La Diva", with legendary Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Desmond Child.[17]

      In February 2017, de Lesseps played a role in the filmed Mother of All Secrets in Bermuda.[18]

      In February 2018, de Lesseps headlined her own cabaret show, called #CountessAndFriends, at Feinstein's/54 Below in Midtown Manhattan.[19] The show features de Lesseps singing songs alluding to her life as a countess and reality-tv star, with appearances from celebrity friends like Rachel Dratch and Housewives co-star Sonja Morgan. In August 2018 de Lesseps announced that she was taking the show on tour, with engagements scheduled in Long Island and New Jersey.[20]

      Luann de Lesseps has been a guest on the show of Monét X Change.[21]

      Personal life

      In 1993,[22] she married Count Alexandre de Lesseps, and together they have two children, Noel and Victoria.[4] They divorced in 2009.[23] On December 31, 2016, de Lesseps married Tom D’Agostino Jr., losing her “countess” courtesy title in the process.[24] In August 2017, de Lesseps announced she and D'Agostino got divorced.[25]

      In 2018, images surfaced of de Lesseps participating in Black face. [26]

      On July 16, 2018, de Lesseps' RHONY co-star Bethenny Frankel announced that Luann had chosen to skip the filming of the show's reunion to re-enter an alcohol treatment program.[27] De Lesseps left the facility after just under three weeks. [28]

      In December 2017, de Lesseps was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida on charges of disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest, battery of an officer, and making threats against a public servant. She was later released on her own recognizance, but was charged with a third-degree felony on January 25, 2018.[29][30] After her release she entered an alcohol treatment program.[27] She still suffers with addiction and has admitted that she has lost her socialite status.

      In July 2018 de Lesseps settled the charges stemming from her Palm Beach arrest, by agreeing to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charges of battery, disorderly intoxication, and trespassing. In exchange the felony charge of resisting an officer with violence was dropped, and de Lesseps agreed to fulfill 50 hours of community service, attend two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and to abstain from drinking alcohol for one year.[31]

      In May 2019, de Lesseps was taken into custody over her alleged probation violations and later released.[32] She completed her probation in August 2019.[33]

      Advocacy

      De Lesseps is a champion for many charitable organizations including: The American Cancer Society, GLAAD, and ACE Partnership for the Homeless. Luann has most recently partnered with The Fortune Society which supports formerly incarcerated inmates by helping them build a successful life path as they reenter into society.[34][35][36][37]

      Discography

      Singles
      Year Single Album
      2010 "Money Can't Buy You Class"[38] non-album single
      2011 "Chic, C'est la Vie"
      2015 "Girl Code"
      2019 "Feelin' Jovani"[39]
      2020 "Viva La Diva (with Desmond Child)"

      References
      1. Vena, Jocelyn (January 13, 2017). "Luann de Lesseps Is Officially Mrs. D'Agostino... Everywhere". Bravo TV Official Site. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
      2. "twitter status". Twitter. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
      3. Johnson, Richard. "LuAnn de Lesseps' ex toasts her 50th". Page Six. Page Six. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
      4. La Ferla, Ruth (April 16, 2009). "TV Royalty, but No Longer a Housewife". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2009. She is LuAnn Nadeau, one of seven children of a Connecticut building contractor. She boasts, often, that she is half American Indian and that, albeit briefly, she worked as a model in New York.
      5. "Luann de Lesseps: #countessandfriends". Feinstein's 54 Below. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
      6. Eaton, Phoebe (July 1, 2008). "Ramona Singer on the Real Housewives of New York City". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2011. LuAnn Nadeau, who grew up with six brothers and sisters in the small town of Berlin, Connecticut, where her father owned a construction business after marrying her French-Canadian mother.
      7. "Class With The Countess: About". ClassWithTheCountess.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
      8. "Class With The Countess". LuAnnDeLesseps.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
      9. Eaton, Phoebe (July 1, 2008). "Countess LuAnn de Lesseps for Ford Models". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
      10. DeLeon, Kris (February 27, 2008). "The Real Housewives of New York City: LuAnn de Lesseps Talks About being a Countess". BuddyTV.com. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
      11. "2Kate Burton, Renee Fleming and LuAnn De Lesseps to Guest Star on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
      12. Nededog, Jethro (February 23, 2011). "'Real Housewives' LuAnn de Lesseps: 'SVU' role is part of her 'second chance' at life". Zap2it. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
      13. Stanhope, Kate (January 27, 2011). "Real Housewives' LuAnn de Lesseps to Stop By Law & Order: SVU". TV Guide. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
      14. Countess Luann deLesseps (April 16, 2009). Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair. Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1592404681.
      15. Zimmerman, Edith (May 14, 2010). "Countess LuAnn Debuts Second Dance Single, 'Chic, C'est la Vie'". New York. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
      16. Hirsch, Chelsea (2019-06-13). "Luann de Lesseps releases 'Feeling Jovani' single". Page Six. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      17. "WATCH: Luann de Lesseps Releases Music Video for New Single 'Viva La Diva'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      18. "LuAnn de Lesseps filming in Bermuda". bravotv.com. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
      19. Rochel Dodes (2018-02-23). "The Show Goes On for Arrest 'Housewife' Luann de Lesseps". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
      20. Jaclyn Hendricks (2018-08-02). "Luann de Lesseps returning to cabaret after rehab". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
      21. The X Change Rate: Luann de Lesseps, retrieved 2020-03-04
      22. Piromallo, Januaria (July 26, 1993). "The Countess from Connecticut: LuAnn de Lesseps". Gstaad Life. Müller Medien AG. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
      23. Dillon, Nancy (April 11, 2009). "Royal breakup for "Real" Housewife". Daily News (New York). Retrieved February 4, 2016.
      24. Russian, Ale (December 31, 2016). "RHONY's Luann de Lesseps Marries Tom D'Agostino Jr". People. United States: Time Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
      25. McKenzie, Joi-Marie (August 3, 2017). "Real Housewives star LuAnn de Lesseps to divorce". ABC News. United States: American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
      26. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/10/23/megyn-kelly-slammed-blackface-comments-today-show/1738580002/
      27. Dave Quinn (2018-07-16). "Luann de Lesseps Checks Back Into Rehab: It's the 'Healthiest Choice,' Bethenny Frankel Says". People Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
      28. Aurelie Corinthios (2018-08-02). "RHONY's Luann de Lesseps Leaves Rehab After 3 Weeks for Upcoming Cabaret Dates". People Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
      29. McKenzie, Joi-Marie (December 24, 2017). "Real Housewives star Luann de Lesseps arrested". ABC News. United States. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
      30. Allyson Koerner (January 25, 2018). "Luann de Lesseps' Charges From Her December Arrest Are Official & She's Facing A Felony". Bustle.
      31. Oli Coleman (2018-07-23). "'RHONY' star Luann de Lesseps reaches plea deal in New Year's Eve arrest, avoids jail time: report". foxnews.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
      32. "Luann de Lesseps ordered back to jail after violating probation". New York Post. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
      33. "Luann de Lesseps Reveals She's Completed Probation: 'Humbled and Grateful for This Life Lesson'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
      34. "Luann de Lesseps Shares Shocking New Details About Her Arrest". E! Online. 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      35. "LuAnn de Lesseps Photos Photos: 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Show". Zimbio. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      36. "luann de lesseps Archives". ACE New York. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      37. "Unseen Moment: Luann's Charity Event". Bravo TV Official Site. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
      38. "Money Can't Buy You Class - Single by Countess Luann" – via music.apple.com.
      39. Countess Luann - Feelin' Jovani, retrieved 2020-03-04
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