LuAnn de Lesseps, (born
LuAnn Nadeau) known as
Countess LuAnn or
The Countess is an American television personality, recording artist, and former fashion model best known for her appearances on the Bravo show
The Real Housewives of New York City. Her courtesy title comes from her previous marriage to French nobleman Count Alexandre de Lesseps, a descendant of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the architect of the Suez Canal. She formally lost the title by divorcing the original title holder.
[citation needed]
Early life
She was born LuAnn Nadeau and grew up with six siblings in the small town of Berlin, Connecticut, where her father owned a construction company.
She has said her father is of Algonquian and French descent
and that her mother is French Canadian.
In the last episode of
RHONY set in Morocco (Season 4,
episode 10, "Last Call, Morocco!", airdate June 9, 2011), the Countess
shared that she had captained her high school varsity softball team.
Career
Lesseps was formerly a licensed practical nurse in Connecticut,
as well as a Wilhelmina model.
She is one of the main cast members on Bravo's reality series,
The Real Housewives of New York City. Lesseps wrote a book,
Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair (published by Gotham) released April 16, 2009
, 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", almost immediately thereafter, also in May 2010.
Personal life
In 1993 she married Alexandre de Lesseps, becoming his fourth wife.
Together, they have two children, Victoria and Noel. They divorced in 2009 as a result of reports of infidelity by her husband.
She announced that she would retain her married name; however, French
nobiliary laws impede her from formally retaining her title of Countess
It
wasn’t too long ago that Countess LuAnn de Lesseps walked the hallways
of Berlin High School. No one, especially Lesseps, could have ever
thought a small-town girl from Berlin would become one of the
most recognizable women in America. From her humble beginnings growing
up in Berlin with six siblings to her busier-than-ever lifestyle now,
she has managed to keep her well-mannered persona in check. If anyone
knows the definition of etiquette and manners, it's Lesseps. After all,
she wrote a book about it: Class with the Countess: How to Live with
Elegance and Flair.“The book is about how I grew up in Connecticut and
how I went from growing up in a small town to becoming a nurse, and
about my journey afterward. It is a book on etiquette, about how you
have to learn manners and about respect and how you treat people,” said
the former LuAnn Nadeau in an exclusive interview with Berlin Patch.“It
was great growing up in Berlin. I had older brothers, so I was hiking
and ice skating on ponds," she said. "I was a tomboy. I played on the
varsity softball team.”After high school, she went to E.C. Goodwin Tech
to become a nurse.Before she went to nursing school, she was a
babysitter, which led to her interest in the nursing field.“One
experience leads to another. To be interested makes you interesting,”
she said. “I really felt like I had a good education in Connecticut. I
loved math and home economics in high school. Kids can’t even sew
buttons on their coats nowadays.”In high school, she never thought about
where she would end up.“I imagined I would be somewhere else but didn’t
know where. When I was 15 or 16 I said there’s got to be more than
this. I eventually joined a modeling competition and got involved in the
Miss Connecticut Pageant," Lesseps said. "I began modeling in New York,
and then discovered Europe.”She went to Europe for three weeks and
stayed for three years.“I fell in love with a French aristocrat!” she
exclaimed. “I write for OK magazine now, that’s from my Berlin High
education. Thank you Berlin High School!”Over the years when she lived
in Europe, she occasionally traveled to the Hamptons. One day, she met
Joe Baron, who was working with Michael Moore on his movie, "Sicko."“Joe
started talking about a show he was working on and said he was looking
for a woman to fill a spot,” she said, referring to "The Real Housewives
of New York."“(Being on the show) changed my life. I got to write my
story about growing up in Connecticut.”“I work for the American Cancer
Society now, and I raise awareness for the homeless in New York City. I
work on different charities all the time,” Lesseps said.Despite all of
her success, she hasn't forgotten her humble beginnings.“I was a happy
kid growing up. I had a big family, great parents.”Although she seemed
like the perfect kid growing up, she was keeping a dark secret that not
many people knew about: her father was an alcoholic.“It was a hard
time,” she recalled. “It’s not easy being a teenager first of all, then
having to deal with that. But he quit drinking, he finished well. It’s
not how you fall, it’s how you pick yourself up.”Lesseps has moved on
from her dark past, and it seems as though she learned most of her
proper etiquette and mannerisms from her mother.“My mother is amazing.
She never drank in her life. She always looked fabulous. She had her
hair done, her nylons and her heels on. She worked at Aetna in
Hartford.”LuAnn has two children of her own. Even though they are in the
spotlight once in a while due to their affiliation with the show, she
makes sure they are only seen in a positive light.“It’s the challenge of
every parent to raise well-mannered children,“ she said. “My kids are
artists. Victoria is a painter and drawer. Noel is into filmmaking and
skateboarding. He has his own skateboarding company, Fancy Fool. He’s
only 14 years old!“Berlin was a great preparation for me, for my life
and my family. It was a great place to grow up. Being healthy in your
mind and coming from a good place is a good start,” she said.Lesseps
recalls her best friends in high school, Michelle Nowak and Kim
Lennehan.“I’m still in contact with some of my high school friends,” she
said. A friend from high school, Ann Marie Roy Porter, helps LuAnn with
her website and publicity. Right now, LuAnn is working on a number of
projects, including a new song, "C’est la Vie," which premiered on the
June 30 Housewives episode. She already has a single on iTunes, “Money
Can’t Buy You Class.”“My inspirations for the songs were about how class
is about respect, the simple gesture. Money can’t buy it, and I see
people out there who are wealthy and ill-mannered. Manner has gone away,
no one has manners anymore,” she said. “'C’est la vie' is about beauty,
class, elegance, and confidence.”She wrote both songs herself, and
released them with the help of her producer, Chris Young.
