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Leilani Dowding

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Leilani Dowding
Born 30 January 1979[1]
Bournemouth, Dorset, England
Alma mater Royal Holloway, University of London
Occupation Glamour model
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Spouse Richard Palmer (divorced)
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title Miss Great Britain 1998
Years active 1998–present
Hair colour Brown
Eye colour Brown
Major competition(s) Miss Great Britain 1998
(Winner)
Miss Universe 1998
(Unplaced)

Leilani Dowding (born 30 January 1980)[1] is an English former beauty pageant titleholder and former glamour model. After winning Miss Great Britain 1998 and representing the United Kingdom at Miss Universe 1998, she dropped out of college to pursue a career in glamour modelling, appearing as a Page 3 girl in The Sun and featuring in men's magazines such as Maxim and FHM. She later appeared on US and British reality television programmes including Tough Love Miami and The Real Housewives of Cheshire. She has become known as a conservative commentator and anti-mRNA vaccines campaigner. She also contributes to media associated with Mark Steyn.

Early life

Dowding is multiracial, with a Filipina mother and a British father.[1] She grew up in Bournemouth, where she attended St Peter's Catholic School. After attaining eleven GCSEs and three A-levels,[1] she began an economics degree at Royal Holloway, University of London, with the intention of becoming a city trader.[2] At age 18, she entered and won the 1998 Miss Great Britain competition.[3] She represented Britain in the Miss Universe pageant in Hawaii later that year.[4]

Career

Following her success in beauty pageants, Dowding dropped out of university to pursue a full-time modelling career. She started appearing as a Page 3 girl in The Sun in 1999.[1] In 2003, she was rated #89 on the FHM Sexiest Women in The World list.[5] Dowding was featured on Page 3 of the Sun on September 11, 2001, before the feature was placed on an eight-day hiatus following the September 11 attacks.

Dowding has featured as a guest on various television shows, modelling on The Big Breakfast and This Morning, and appearing on Faking It, Celebrity Wrestling and Celebrity Fear Factor. She appeared on a charity Page 3 episode of The Weakest Link, competing on behalf of the RSPCA and breast cancer charities.[6]

She has featured in pantomime, playing Tiger Lilly in Peter Pan.[1] She has competed in celebrity poker tournaments and has done promotional work for Ladbrokes.[7] Her reality television work has included the US show Tough Love Miami and the British programme The Real Housewives of Cheshire. She also established her own clothing line, the Leiluna Collection.[8] Since 2022, she has been a conservative commentator on media hosted by Mark Steyn.[9]

Personal life

Dowding has dated a number of footballers and became known as a "WAG" in the British tabloid press.[10] She was engaged to former Wimbledon and Northern Ireland defender Mark Williams but ended their two-year relationship after he allegedly had an affair with glamour model Linsey Dawn McKenzie.[11] Williams and McKenzie subsequently married.[12] Dowding was also engaged to former Arsenal, West Ham and Middlesbrough attacker Jérémie Aliadière.[13]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dowding stated on twitter that "fat people cause the most strain on the NHS" and blamed them for "making lockdown longer".[14]

She lived in the United States for over a decade, where she was briefly married to American actor and restaurateur Richie Palmer, a former husband of actress Raquel Welch.[15][16] While living in the US, she began dating Billy Duffy, lead guitarist of British rock band the Cult. She became engaged to Duffy in 2020.[17] The couple moved back to the UK and live in Manchester.[16] She has stated that she wishes to remain childfree.[18]

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Back to citation occurrence 1.4 Back to citation occurrence 1.5 "Leilani fan club". leilanifanclub. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  2. Back to citation John Aizlewood (15 January 2006). "The top 10 footballers' Page 3 playmates". The Times. London: News International. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  3. Back to citation "Student Leylani Dowding carries off the Miss Great Britain Universe honours". BBC News. 12 March 1998. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  4. Back to citation "BBC News | UK | Surprise - beauty queens are back". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  5. Back to citation "The Sexiest Women In The World 2003" Archived 19 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. FHM. Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
  6. Back to citation Beauty and the beast (From Dorset Echo)[]. Archive.dorsetecho.co.uk (27 April 2002). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
  7. Back to citation "Leilani fan club". leilanifanclub. Retrieved 19 August 2024; Rajesh Modha Tops off a Million Dollar Night! | PokerNews Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Uk.pokernews.com (16 December 2006). Retrieved on 4 May 2012; Ladbrokes Poker Vegas Dream Packages Deprecated link archived 7 September 2012 at archive.today. Pokerplayer.co.uk (30 March 2009). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
  8. Back to citation "Leilani Dowding Talks Being UK's Hottest Glamour Model, Listening To Lupe Fiasco & Being Sterotyped As A WAG". Yahoo News. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  9. Back to citation "The Best of Leilani: with Leilani Dowding". SteynOnline. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. Back to citation Duke, Simon (15 October 2021). "Newcastle's famous WAGs from Big Brother winner to X Factor judge". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  11. Back to citation "My Ulster footballer was bore in the bed – Model Lashes Out After Soccer Star Strayed". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. Back to citation "Sexy Linsey's Wedded Bliss". The Mirror. 8 January 2006. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. Back to citation John Aizlewood (15 January 2006). "The top 10 footballers' Page 3 playmates". The Times. London: News International. Retrieved 3 January 2010; Meet The Cast Of Tough Love: Miami. Blog.vh1.com (7 September 2011). Retrieved on 4 May 2012; "Leilani sings for England". Dorset Echo. Dorset. 17 May 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  14. Back to citation Roberts, Jamie (19 March 2021). "Real Housewives' Leilani Dowding blames 'fat people' for 'making lockdown longer'". Mirror. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  15. Back to citation Russell, Stacey (14 October 2011). "Leilani Dowding Talks Tough Love Miami, Divorce, and Show Drama". Blogs.miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  16. Back to citation occurrence 16.0 Back to citation occurrence 16.1 Corner, Natalie L. (31 August 2020). "Inside Real Housewives' star Leilani Dowding's home she lives in with her fiancé". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  17. Back to citation Knight, Lewis (16 March 2020). "Real Housewives of Cheshire star Leilani Dowding engaged to rocker Billy Duffy". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  18. Back to citation Sansome, Jessica (4 December 2019). "Real Housewives star on not having children and 'face fixed' comments". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
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