- Kathleen de Leon Jones
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Kathleen de Leon Jones 
Background information Birth name Kathleen de Leon Born 1 September 1977
Manila, PhilippinesOrigin Sydney, Australia Genres Pop, children's music Occupations Actress, dancer, singer Instruments Singing Years active 1977–present Labels Sony BMG Associated acts Hi-5 Kathleen de Leon Jones (born Kathleen de Leon on 1 September 1977 in Manila, Philippines) is an Australian actress, dancer, and singer of Filipino descent. She was an original cast member of the ARIA Award winning Australian children's television program, Hi-5.
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Personal life
Born in Manila in 1977, Kathleen moved to Australia with her family in 1978. After migration to Australia, Kathleen's parents had another two girls, Jennifer and Melanie, making Kathleen the oldest of three siblings. The de Leon sisters spent most of their childhood in Sydney.[1]
On 30 April 2000, when de Leon was 22 years old, she met her future husband Daniel Jones. At the time, Jones was a member of the Australian pop band Savage Garden. The couple met at the 42nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards where de Leon was nominated for an award with Hi-5, which they also won.
After being in a serious relationship for more than three years, Kathleen organised a '70s themed party for Daniel's 30th birthday. However, it was Kathleen who got the biggest surprise when a teary-eyed Jones professed his love for de Leon and proposed in front of more than a hundred people – including his shocked parents – at the GPO Bar in Brisbane.[2]
On 9 October 2005, de Leon and Jones married at Avica Weddings and Resort on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The big day turned out to be an Oriental-meets-Balinese themed fairytale wedding filled with special touches. De Leon's wedding dress was designed by Bora of Bora Couture while one of de Leon's friends designed a pearl set for the back of the gown and diamond pieces for the front. Jones also used his musical talents to pen a song called "Love Is Enough" for his bride.[3]
On 25 February 2006, after returning home from her honeymoon, Kathleen confirmed that she was four months pregnant.[4] The couple's first child, daughter Mikayla de Leon Jones, was born on 26 July 2006.[5] On October 30, 2010, Kathleen gave birth to the couple's second child, Keira.
Professional career
Kathleen started singing and dancing at an early age. She taught herself to play the guitar, prompting her parents to enroll her in The McDonald College, an exclusive performing arts school in Sydney, Australia. She was awarded both the Roberta Armstrong and Kelloggs Scholarships to study at the school and she studied dance, drama, and voice there for a number of years while playing the audition circuit in her spare time.[1]
De Leon also trained with the Australian College of Entertainment in Castle Hill, New South Wales.[6] She also competed in the Australian television talent show New Faces – where she came third in the grand final – and appeared on various Australian television shows, including Heartbreak High, Ridgey Didge, Swap Shop, and the At Home Show with John Mangos.[7]
It was while she was performing at a fundraiser for The McDonald College that de Leon was discovered by one of the directors for the Cameron Macintosh company. De Leon appeared in two musicals in Australia mounted by the Macintosh company – Miss Saigon and Rent – and stayed with the cast of Rent (where she was an understudy for the role of Mimi) until Hi-5 came along.[1]
More information can be found in the Hi-5 article.
Departure from Hi-5
In July, 2007, it was announced that de Leon was leaving Hi-5 permanently to focus on raising her child. She also announced that she would still be interested in working on television if an opportunity existed in Sydney so she could remain close to her family. Kathleen is the first of all the original members to permanently leave Hi-5, the others being Tim Harding, Charli Delaney, Nathan Foley and Kellie Crawford.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Another Pinay goes international." Manila Standard Today, 28 December 2006.
- ^ Edmiston, Leanne: "Hi5 Star to Wed." The Courier-Mail, 28 July 2003.
- ^ Dunn, Shannon: "Centre Stage." Bride to Be: Your Day, Real-Life Weddings Yearbook, January 2006.
- ^ Koch, Phillip: "Pregnant Hi-5 Star Bows Out." Sunday Telegraph, 26 February 2006.
- ^ AAP: "Baby Makes Hi-6." Herald Sun, 27 July 2006.
- ^ Australian College of Entertainment
- ^ International Concert Attractions
- ^ Sams, Christine: Being a mum is number one for Hi-5 fave, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2007.
External links
- Hi-5 Official Website
- Hi-5 on NineMSN
- Kathleen de Leon Jones at the Internet Movie Database
- Kathleen de Leon Jones on Myspace
Lauren Brant · Stevie Nicholson Casey Burgess · Fely Irvine · Tim Maddren ·
Kellie Crawford · Charli Delaney · Nathan Foley · Tim Harding · Kathleen de Leon Jones · Sun Park ·Related articles Categories:- 1977 births
- Living people
- People from Manila
- People from Sydney
- Australian people of Filipino descent
- Australian female singers
- Australian television personalities
- Australian television actors
- Australian dancers
- Australian children's musicians
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