Luann de Lesseps (née Nadeau; born May 17, 1965)is an American socialite, 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 series The Real Housewives of New York City, which documents the lives of several women residing in New York City. In 2018, she began headlining "Countess and Friends", a cabaret show of her own making. 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 an early episode of Real Housewives, 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. For the sixth season, 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 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode "Bully", playing a socialite who makes a gruesome discovery. De Lesseps wrote a book, Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair (published by Gotham Books) released April 16, 2009, and released her first record, "Money Can't Buy You Class" (through Ultra Records), 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 June 2019, De Lesseps released her fourth single, "Feeling Jovani". In September 2020, she released her fifth single, "Viva La Diva", with Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Desmond Child. In February 2017, de Lesseps played a role in the film Maternal Secrets in Bermuda. In May 2017, de Lesseps appeared in the celebrity roast of Michael Musto alongside Bianca Del Rio, Jinkx Monsoon, Orfeh,