7 minute read
The View: Leah Charles-King
Follow your dreams!
From pop star to TV presenter, Leah Charles-King has contributed for over 30 years to mainstream media and the entertainment industry as a multi award-winning music artist, presenter and radio host. She has recently joined the team of property experts on Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun, where she is helping house hunters find their dream holiday homes. She talks to Lynda Clark about her fascinating life and career and gives some sound advice to first time buyers
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Ispoke to Leah on a rather dull
Wednesday afternoon and after a few minutes getting to know each
other I was hooked! Her love of life, her experiences and her enthusiasm for her new role as a presenter on A Place in the Sun are infectious. Her story has been a journey of ups and downs and twists and turns, yet through it all one thing stands out that defines Leah as a person and what her story teaches us all – to follow your dreams and never give up!
Leah had quite an unconventional childhood. From a very early age she went to stage school and was acting, singing and dancing, but she also attended mainstream school as well and she said,“I really lived two lives, which was sometimes quite confusing.” She had always thought she would become a lawyer as she was passionate about standing up for people’s rights, but as a teenager in the 90s things changed quite dramatically and Leah’s world was turned upside down. Together with her two cousins, she formed an R&B pop girl band, Kleshay, which was signed by Sony and enjoyed two UK chart singles as well as a successful arena tour as a supporting act for Lionel Richie. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but we were so young it was pretty overwhelming to see advertising billboards all across the UK promoting us. We lived the dream though, and I have wonderful memories of those days. I also sang on the backing vocals for George Michael, Mary J Blige and Andreas Bocelli, so it was really full-on.”
Eventually, though, her life took another turn and at the age of 19 the group had disbanded and Leah became depressed and really struggled with what her future might hold. “We had lost our record deal and I struggled with my mental health, but in those days nobody really spoke about depression and despair. I knew I was in a bad way but it was never ever diagnosed and I never got any proper help. "I felt embarrassed and ashamed of my condition so I could never speak about it and led a rather secret life. I then hit an all-time low and wrote to my GP saying I just couldn’t go on. Thankfully he took it very seriously and I was diagnosed as being bipolar. It was a relief to know what was wrong with me but there was still a stigma attached to it and I still didn’t feel able to tell anyone. Then about three years ago I woke up one day and decided to tell the world via social media – it was quite a moment and unbelievably it went viral and I have never looked back.”
Leah is a very accomplished presenter and has racked up well over 100,000 hours of live, unscripted, non-autocued TV presenting and has produced and presented programmes transmitted across Europe, US and African mainstream television. She has worked with a host of major broadcasters including the BBC, CITV, Channel 5, Disney Channel and Sky1. “It hasn’t always been an easy ride though, as in the late 90s there was no internet and getting work was very difficult. Then in 2001 I heard CITV (Children’s ITV) was looking for a new presenter. It wasn’t until the last possible day that I decided to send my showreel in and I pretty much forgot all about it. I heard nothing for months but then I was asked to come in and do a test along with about 1,000 other people. I didn’t think I stood a chance but they then asked me to audition and the children voted for me and I got the job! I was the first black female continuity presenter on CITV in its 40-year history. I was also the host and producer for the flagship radio show, Leah CK Drive Time, on The Beat London. It was the station’s most listened-to broadcast and won many coveted industry awards.
“I have such a fun career and A Place in the Sun is the very best job as I love travelling and property. Before I got the job, my agent asked me if I knew anything about property. My uncle is a property developer and I have always helped him as I am passionate about buying a home and also my family have bought land in the Caribbean and built their own homes out there so I feel I really understand what it is like to want to move to your dream destination. I was asked to send a 20-second video in and I really wanted to show my personality and also how serious I was about the role. I had a beautiful picture of the Maldives on the screen as a backdrop and it must have worked as I was asked to do a screen test and one month later I was filming in the town of Islantilla on Spain’s Costa de la Luz – it was a dream come true!
“The couple I helped were amazing and we are still in touch now. They are retired teachers, and had a budget of £110,000 and wanted a two bedroom apartment near to the beach so they could spend the winter there. I showed them five different places and they decided to buy one, which was incredible for my first show. They have called their home Casa Leah, which I was bowled over by. I have also been to Cyprus and sold three houses in the same road and they are hoping to rename the street after me too!”
Leah was brought up in Maida Vale and then her parents eventually moved to Wembley so she spent her teenage years there. She said, ”I now live in south London but I am really fed-up with renting and want to buy a home of my own as soon as I can. I expect I am like a lot of buyers as I don’t really quite know where I want to settle and buy, and it’s hard in London with prices being so high. But, in the meantime, I am continuing to save for a deposit – my plan is to save, save, save.”
She has some very good advice for first time buyers and recommends, “It is really overwhelming and as you have never bought before it is quite daunting. Plan ahead and take your time and don’t have any knee-jerk reactions as sometimes pressure makes you make some bad decisions. It is a very big commitment and the most expensive thing you will ever buy so it is important to decide on exactly the right location. Make a list of what amenities are important to you like transport links, schools or shops and this will help you to focus when you are searching for a property. There is nothing worse than buying a home and then finding you don’t like it and you are unhappy or feel isolated, as it is very costly to move again.”
As we finish, Leah is about to start packing for her next trip with A Place in the Sun, “I am off to Spain and it has been really cold there which is unusual for this time of the year. It’s so hard to know what to wear but I love my work so much I don’t mind what the weather does. Looking back to when I was so low, I can’t believe how my life has changed so much for the better. I filmed a report for BBC’s The One Show called Bipolar and Me, where I discuss my experiences and it was watched by 8.8 million viewers. I am the Ambassador for the charity Bipolar UK and I want to help as much as I can. I am now so positive and I honestly feel I am the luckiest person ever!”
Follow Leah on Instagram @leahcharlesking
A Place in the Sun broadcasts daily at 4pm on Channel 4 starting 20 June 2022
