Leilani Dowding
Leilani Dowding | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 30 January 1980[1] Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Occupation | Glamour model |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Richard Palmer (divorced) |
| Relatives | Chris Dowding (father) Zena Dowding (mother) Melanie Dowding (sister) |
| Modelling information | |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Hair colour | Brown |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Website | www |
Leilani Dowding (born 30 January 1980)[1] is an English former Page 3 girl, glamour model, television celebrity, and the UK representative at Miss Universe 1998.
Early life
Dowding grew up in Bournemouth, and has a younger sister Melanie. They were brought up Roman Catholic by their Filipina mother Zena, and British father Chris.[1] Leilani was named after her mother's cousin and her name means "heavenly flower".[2]
Dowding and her sister attended St Peter's School in Bournemouth. She did well in school, earning eleven GCSEs and three A-levels.[1] She studied for an economics degree at Royal Holloway, University of London, in Surrey, with the intention of becoming a city trader.[3] The then-18-year-old entered and won the 1998 Miss Great Britain competition.[4] In Hawaii later that year she became the first woman of Asian descent to represent Britain in the Miss Universe pageant.[1]
Career
After her success in beauty pageants, Dowding dropped out of university to pursue a full-time modelling career. Although she had not originally considered topless modelling, she started appearing as a Page 3 girl in The Sun in 1999.[1] Her younger sister Melanie ("Mel") Dowding also had a brief career as a model.
In 2003 she was rated #89 on the FHM Sexiest Women in World list.[5]
Dowding has been a guest on various British television shows, modelling on the Big Breakfast and This Morning, and appearing on Faking It, Celebrity Wrestling and Celebrity Fear Factor. She has also enjoyed a season in pantomime as Tiger Lilly in Peter Pan.[1]
Dowding appeared on a charity Page 3 episode of The Weakest Link where she lost out in the final round to Jakki Degg. Dowding was competing on behalf of the RSPCA and breast cancer charities.[6] She joked before the show: "I look forward to using my brain for the first time in three years."[7]
Dowding has competed in celebrity poker tournaments and done promotional work for Ladbrokes.[1][8][9]
She also appears in the American TV Reality Show Tough Love Miami, in which she deals with her own superficiality in order to find a suitable mate.
She has visited Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Cyprus on morale-boosting trips for British troops abroad.[1]
She appeared in the December 2011 issue of Maxim U.S.[10]
She featured on The Millionaire Matchmaker (Series 8 Episode 10).
Dowding has her own clothing line, the Leiluna Collection.[citation needed]
Personal life
Dowding has been engaged to former Wimbledon and Northern Ireland defender Mark Williams and was engaged to former Middlesbrough attacker Jérémie Aliadière.[3][11] She was briefly married to restaurateur Richard Palmer – ex-husband of Raquel Welch, and is now divorced.[12][13]
Criticism
In 2014, Dowding uploaded a photo of herself dressed as a murdered Native American chief. This was considered extremely offensive by Indian Country Today News.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Biography". Leilani Dowding's Official Site. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
- ^ "Leilani Dowding". Archived from the original on 6 June 2008.
Leilani was my mum's cousin's name, it means heavenly flower
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b John Aizlewood (15 January 2006). "The top 10 footballers' Page 3 playmates". The Times. London: News International. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Student Leylani Dowding carries off the Miss Great Britain Universe honours". BBC News. 12 March 1998. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "The Sexiest Women In The World 2003" Archived 19 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. FHM. Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
- ^ Beauty and the beast (From Dorset Echo)[permanent dead link]. Archive.dorsetecho.co.uk (27 April 2002). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
- ^ Giovanni Iozzi (13 July 2002). "Jakki has the most up top!". The Sun. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ Rajesh Modha Tops off a Million Dollar Night! | PokerNews. Uk.pokernews.com (16 December 2006). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
- ^ Ladbrokes Poker Vegas Dream Packages Archived 7 September 2012 at archive.today. Pokerplayer.co.uk (30 March 2009). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
- ^ Tweet (4 November 2011). "Leilani Dowding". Maxim. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Meet The Cast Of Tough Love: Miami. Blog.vh1.com (7 September 2011). Retrieved on 4 May 2012.
- ^ Russell, Stacey (14 October 2011). "Leilani Dowding Talks Tough Love Miami, Divorce, and Show Drama". Blogs.miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ Julie Moult (22 July 2013). "Even her poor dog looks embarrassed as Leilani Dowding draws attention to herself with peculiar paddleboard yoga |". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ "Is This Model Wearing the Most Disgusting Native American Halloween Costume Ever?" Indian Country Today News. 5 November 2014.
External links
