Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Ex-cheerleader lesbian a 'Star' in her own right
NUNN ON ONE: TV Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2011-09-14

This article shared 19759 times since Wed Sep 14, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Leslie Ezelle is a former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, a lesbian mother of four and a breast cancer survivor. She participated in HGTV's Design Star in its sixth season (won by Chicago interior designer Meg Caswell). Windy City Times spoke with the designer.

Windy City Times: Hey, Leslie. How are you?

Leslie Ezelle: Great. I am on vacation in Cape Cod. Libby and I were married here in a little place called Chatham where she grew up with her adopted family. I love coming to Provincetown in Cape Cod so it was a no-brainer to get married here.

Now every year we come and vacation with the kids. I am in 70-degree weather and it is a 110 back in Dallas. It is like Africa at home and unbelievable. Right now after I finish this with you I am leaving to get on a plane to do a huge event with Susan G Komen. I can't miss it because I am the honorary chairperson for it. I have been working the whole time on the beach.

WCT: This is your time so you have to take advantage of it.

LE: Exactly. I tell her this a time-sensitive issue and non negotiable. There will be other times to come to Cape Cod and film getting a house redone. That is the dream.

WCT: How long have you been together?

LE: In 2005 we met; then, in 2008, we were married. She is in the investment business and the weekend we were married the market crashed. December of that year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since we met we have had an ass whipping until now and we are celebrating. We had our struggles because it was two years of breast cancer stuff.

WCT: How are you health-wise now?

LE: I am great. After I was diagnosed in 2008 I did six weeks of radiation. After that I didn't do well with reconstructive surgery. I kept getting infected and spent three weeks in the hospital. It was a mess and stretched over a two-year time period. This last December was my last surgery. I started filming the show in March.

WCT: That's a whirlwind!

LE: Libby said that if I wound up sick in the hospital that we would pull the plug on the whole reality show thing. I managed to be okay and move heavy furniture.

WCT: How did you become involved in the show?

LE: I credit breast cancer for that. I hit rock bottom and started asking all these soul searching questions like "What do I want to be when I grow up?" I realized that not only did I want my own design firm but my own show so that I can combine my love of entertaining with design on a more powerful scale. The other thing I am passionate about is changing the face of gay. There is a stereotype and the former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader is not your normal look for a gay female. I would like to become a role model for the women folk out there. I hate to be in a little box.

WCT: So you have your own business now?

LE: Yes, I got that right before breast cancer. I always wind up doing the offices of straight men. They work well with me because they like working with a woman that shoots straight. I design for bachelors to make their pads a chick magnet now.

WCT: I watched Design Star and saw the paint spill on the carpet.

LE: I swore that was a can of putty and it was closed. Black paint went everywhere and it was a miracle it came out with hot water. I couldn't believe it.

WCT: That's a good tip. So don't rub it in.

LE: No, blot that out.

WCT: You framed carpets on [a recent] episode.

LE: How about that? I pulled that totally out of my ass. All of my creative ideas come at the eleventh hour. It works well on Design Star but not so much in life.

WCT: Is it hard working on teams like that challenge [involved]?

LE: Not if you are working with someone like Tyler. If you are working with Omarosa—I mean, Cathy—then you get your ass handed to you about every five minutes!

WCT: She is always shopping on the show.

LE: Oh my gosh! Not only that, but she will harp on you. I have never heard my name called so many times. She said one time "Leslie, for the grace of God…" I thought she is going to bring God into a room about pillows? You have to be kidding me! I tried to be friends with her but it didn't work. She didn't want backstabbing but I told her everything to her face. I let her be the meany and I moved out of the way. If you work with someone like that it is a buzzkill. Your creativity just goes out the window.

WCT: Doing the camera challenge is tough, right?

LE: Before I did the show I thought that was going to be a cakewalk. I have been in front of the camera before so totally comfortable there. But you have to write your own damn script. That was not easy for me. I wasn't able to edit myself to get it down to just bullet points. I sucked eggs on that but other than that I was relaxed and natural for the camera.

WCT: What are you working on after the show?

LE: You will see on my website that I have a huge gigantic metal bra made out of straps for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We are working on her right now and making a documentary about her. The whole slogan is "you can't strap a good woman down." This 1950s bra is going to tour Dallas, then bust out of Texas—pun intended—then make a tour around the country. The business that she arrives at will turn pink for that month so be looking for her in Chicago. Her name is Annie.

WCT: I will look for you, your wife and a bra named Annie blowing into the Windy City soon, pun intended!

For more on Leslie's designs and business visit www.lesliechristinedesigns.com . To hear more on the HGTV show try www.hgtv.com .


This article shared 19759 times since Wed Sep 14, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Brad Lippitz, Real-estate expert talks twists, love and politics 2019-06-26
- Like many people's lives, Brad Lippitz's has taken some intriguing twists and turns. In this case, it was a switch from law to (ultimately) real estate that changed his life. Lippitz, a luxury real-estate broker at ...


Gay News

Chicago Architecture Center rolls out events for summer and fall 2019 2019-05-24
- CHICAGO (May 22, 2019) —The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is the city's exciting new cultural attraction which is both a hub and gateway to everything architecture in Chicago. The CAC offers an authentic first stop for ...


Gay News

Restored Frederick C. Robie House house opens to public March 29 2019-03-26
- CHICAGO, IL (March 26, 2019) — The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust announced the reopening of the Frederick C. Robie House on March 29, concluding the final phase of a comprehensive restoration at a total cost of ...


Gay News

Legacy Walk passes first round of landmark status voting 2019-03-10
- The Chicago Landmarks Commission unanimously voted March 7 to confer historic landmark status on the Legacy Walk in Lake View. The commision will vote again on the matter in April. After the April vote, the recommendation ...


Gay News

Landmarks Commision set to vote on Legacy Walk designation 2019-03-06
- The Chicago Landmarks Commission will meet on March 7 and discuss whether or not to confer historic landmark status on the Legacy Walk in Lake View. "It's unbelievable that this is happening," said Victor Salvo, executive ...


Gay News

Boystown stretch on the market 2019-03-01
- A stretch of Boystown that encompasses 3501-19 N. Halsted St.—which includes legendary LGBT nightspot Little Jim's Tavern—is on the market for $7.5 million, according to the commercial real-estate site CREXi. ...


Gay News

Dream Town has 'Be You' campaign 2018-09-26
- Real-estate brokerage firm Dream Town Realty has a brand campaign for 2018, "Be You." The new campaign is inspired by the Oscar Wilde quote "Be yourself—everyone else is already taken." The new ad campaign will come ...


Gay News

Open House Chicago: Exploring historical sites for free 2018-09-26
- Ever wondered what it looks like inside the Ukrainian National Museum or downtown architecture gems like the Railway Exchange Building or the Civic Opera Building? On Oct. 13-14, people can take a peek inside these historical ...


Gay News

Architect to discuss local projects Oct. 2 2018-09-19
- Mark Sexton—co-founder of the firm that designed the Millennium Park's Crown Fountain (2004) in collaboration with artist Jaume Plensa—will tell the story behind the fountain and other projects in the ...


Gay News

Renslow building back up for sale 2018-09-12
- A Chicago building once housing the Man's Country bathhouse is back up for sale, according to reports. Developers had originally planned to turn the building into a condominium complex, but the property has been put back ...


Gay News

Leading architecture space re-opens as the Chicago Architecture Center 2018-09-08
- Walking into the new architecture center downtown can at first be overwhelming. A futuristic map of the world with tall buildings and what the future of Chicago might look like grabs one's attention—with a deep blue ...


Gay News

Dream Town starts 'Be You' campaign 2018-08-15
- Real-estate brokerage firm Dream Town Realty has unveiled a new brand campaign for 2018, titled "Be You." The new campaign is inspired by the Oscar Wilde quote "Be yourself—everyone else is already taken." The new ad ...


Gay News

REAL ESTATE The Hampdens--Aiming for luxury living in Lincoln Park 2018-08-08
- Nestled on a quiet side street off of Diversey Parkway, The Hampdens of East Lincoln Park (The Hampdens) will soon be home to 45 multi-bedroom residences. The two boutique-style, six-story buildings, Hampden 53 and Hampden 73, ...


Gay News

Jackhammer, Leather 64TEN proprietors search for new building owner 2018-06-27
- Two prominent North Side LGBT businesses have just under a month to find a new owner for the building they've long called home, or their businesses are in danger of closing. The building at Clark Street ...


Gay News

Village of Homewood gets creative in reaching out 2018-04-26
- The Village of Homewood has launched a new marketing campaign that asks Chicago to "Think Homewood" if they are considering a move. The campaign focuses efforts on commuters and residents on the near south, west and ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.