Sea Point resident Leigh-Anne Williams graces our television screens every weekday morning and takes us with ease into afternoons on the radio.
The co-host of the Expresso Show on SABC3 and Good Hope FM presenter is celebrating 12 years in the media and entertainment industry this year.
Before her fame, Leigh-Ann did a regular 9-to-5 job in recruitment and took acting lessons in her spare time.
She said she is passionate about the media and always knew that she wanted to be a part of it.
“It all started when I was interviewed on Good Hope FM many years ago, while I was hosting a career expo at the University of the Western Cape. The rush was amazing. I felt so alive. I just knew it was for me,” she said.
She made the decision to get an agent and has never looked back.
An opportunity arose when she was approached by the Expresso Show production team to be a guest presenter on the show for a week.
Leigh-Ann admits that 12 years in this often cut-throat industry is not child’s play and it does feel long because there have been so many
lessons and challenges along the way and she remembers and cherishes them all.
Touching on some of the challenges that she’s encountered over the years, Leigh-Ann said TV and radio jobs are hard to crack.
“You won’t find them advertised in the classifieds. The trick is to keep honing and perfecting your craft for the day that an opportunity presents itself. Do things that will allow you to learn, if that will make you famous. Longevity in the industry is forged through years of hard work. Not fly by night success,” she said.
She said she has learnt that everything one does is a lesson, never a failure. “So no matter how long it takes you to learn something, every attempt is a stepping stone to greatness,” she said.
Sharing some of her proudest moments in her career, Leigh-Ann said she had many, but doing Strictly Come Dancing and meeting Idris Elba as well as Julia Roberts were among the highlights.
Living a life that is very much in the spotlight, Leigh-Ann said her source of inspiration is her mother and God. She maintains that her strong family bonds are what keeps her grounded and motivated.
“My family means the world to me, especially my mom. We’ve been through so much together and she always manages to keep my spirits up no matter what.”
Leigh-Ann lives by a quote by evangelist and author, Leonard Ravenhill: “Opportunities of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”
