Who is Leilani Dowding? New Real Housewives of Cheshire star and Page 3 girl
LEILANI first burst into the scenes as a Page 3 girl for The Sun and quickly became a favourite glamour model for many.
And now she’s returning to Blighty from the sunnier climes of Los Angeles to partake in the upcoming season of RHOC. Here’s what we know about the brunette beauty…
Who is Leilani Dowding?
Leilani Dowding is a former page 3 girl and glamour model.
The brunette beauty was born on January 30, 1980 to a Filipina mother and British father and has a younger sister called Melanie.
Before embarking on her modelling career, Leilani started an economics degree at Royal Holloway College with the view to becoming a trader in the city.
However this was derailed after she entered and won the 1998 Miss Great Britain competition.
Leilani became the first woman of Asian origin to represent the UK at the Miss Universe pageant.
Following the success of her pageant history, Leilani dropped out of university to fully focus on her modelling career – and made her big Page 3 debut in The Sun in 1999.
The stunner was ranked number 89 on the FHM Sexiest Women in the World list.
As well as her modelling career, the star has appeared on a host of reality shows including Faking It, Celebrity Fear Factor and Celebrity Wrestling.
She also owns her own clothing line called the Leiluna Collection.
Is Leilani Dowding married?
No – she’s not married but she is in a long-term relationship with The Cult’s Billy Duffy.
The pair lived together in Los Angeles before moving back to Blighty to film for Real Housewives of Cheshire.
Prior to her relationship with Billy, she has been engaged to footballers Mark Williams and Jeremie Aliadiere.
She was also briefly married to Raquel Welch’s former husband, restaurateur Richard Palmer.
Is Leilani Dowding joining the cast of Real Housewives of Cheshire?
Yes! On August 1, 2019, The Sun exclusively revealed that Leilani had already starting filming for the show.
And she’s even moved back home to join the show after years of living Stateside in Los Angeles.
She agreed to be part of the ITVbe series alongside her rock star partner Billy Duffy of The Cult.
The 58-year-old music legend regularly tours the world with his band but is now based back in his home town of Manchester – meaning Leilani could sign up to join the popular reality TV series.
Leilani said: “After 15 years of living in LA, my partner Billy Duffy and I decided to move back to the UK.
“We’ve decided to make Cheshire our home and we’re so excited to be back. When the opportunity arose to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire, I thought it would be so much fun, I jumped at the chance.”
A TV insider said: “Leilani has signed on the bottom line and is officially a Real Housewife.
“Everyone is so excited to have her join the show. She pulls no punches and will be a hit with men and women viewers.
“It’s something of a coup for the show to have landed a big star and her famous rock star partner.
“Billy won’t be a regular megastar in the series, but will appear on screen.
“Leilani has always had a hardcore following, but her fame is set to rocket with mainstream TV work.
“She has an army of fans among The Sun readers and has fond memories of her time with Britain’s favourite newspaper.”
It’s thought that the feisty brunette will clash with the show’s alpha females Dawn Ward and Tanya Bardsley in the upcoming tenth series.
When is the tenth series of Real Housewives of Cheshire on?
An exact start date is yet to be confirmed by producers.
However the tenth and latest series should be back on our screens in Autumn time.
And no doubt it will be as explosive as the previous seasons.