Biography
Who is Lea T?
Early life and family
Lea T was born Leandra Medeiros Cerezo in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She is the daughter of Toninho Cerezo, who was a well-known professional football player in Brazil. During her childhood, she moved to Italy where she was raised.
Before her transition, she was assigned male at birth. She began her path in the modeling industry during her teenage years after being signed by an agent named Piero Piazzi at seventeen.
Modeling and fashion career
Her professional career took off after she was discovered by Riccardo Tisci, a senior designer at Givenchy. The letter T in her professional name is a tribute to Tisci. She worked as his assistant before becoming the face of the luxury brand in late 2010.
Her runway debut happened in January 2011 during São Paulo Fashion Week. She walked for designer Alexandre Herchcovitch. Throughout her career, she has appeared in campaigns for brands like Benetton, Philipp Plein, and Givenchy, working with photographer Terry Richardson.
Brand work and public appearances
In 2014, she became a global face for the American hair-care company Redken. This role marked a significant milestone, as she became the first openly transgender model to represent a major international cosmetics brand.
Forbes magazine named her one of the 12 women who changed the world of Italian fashion in February 2015. She shared this list with industry figures such as Miuccia Prada, Anna Dello Russo, and Franca Sozzani. In 2013, she also competed in the Italian television program Ballando con le Stelle, which is the local version of Dancing with the Stars.
Olympic history and personal life
Lea T made history during the 2016 Rio Olympics. She led the Brazilian delegation into the stadium on a bicycle during the opening ceremonies. She was the first transgender person to ever participate in this specific event, guiding a team of 465 athletes. The flag bearer for the team was modern pentathlete Yane Marques.
In 2011, she discussed her plans for sex reassignment surgery, which she underwent in Thailand in March 2012. While she initially described the experience negatively in a 2013 interview, she later stated that she felt satisfied with the final results. She has identified as bisexual and is recognized as an advocate for LGBT rights. She received the BBC 100 Women award in November 2020.
Birthday and age
Lea T was born on February 19, 1981, which makes Lea 45 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Lea shares the date with 57 other famous people.
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