Luann de Lesseps 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 seriesThe 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.
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. She has said her father is of Algonquin and French descent and that her mother is French Canadian. In the last episode of RHONY set in Morocco Afton,, de Lesseps shared that she had captained her high school varsity softball team.
Career
De 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. 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. In February 2011, de Lesseps guest starred on , in the episode "", playing a socialite who makes a gruesome discovery. De Lesseps wrote a book, Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair released April 16, 2009, and released her first record, "Money Can't Buy You Class", on May 25, 2010. She released her second single, "Chic, C'est La Vie" in June 2011. She released a third single, "Girl Code", on July 6, 2015. In February 2017, de Lesseps filmed a role in the movie Mother of All Secrets in Bermuda. In February 2018, de Lesseps headlined her own cabaret show, called #CountessAndFriends, at Feinstein's/54 Below in Midtown Manhattan. 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. Luann de Lesseps has been a guest on the show of Monét X Change.
Personal life
In 1993, she married Count Alexandre de Lesseps, and together they have two children, Noel and Victoria. They divorced in 2009. On December 31, 2016, de Lesseps married Tom D’Agostino Jr. In August 2017, de Lesseps announced she and D'Agostino got divorced. 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. De Lesseps left the facility after just under three weeks.
Legal problems
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. After her release she entered an alcohol treatment program. 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. In May 2019, de Lesseps was taken into custody over her alleged probation violations and later released. She completed her probation in August 2019.
