Rustie Lee
Born (1949-05-22) 22 May 1949[1]
Portland, Jamaica
Occupation(s)Television personality, chef, actress, singer, politician
Years active1983–present
Notable workCelebrity Super Spa
TelevisionCelebrity Super Spa (2013)
Political partyUKIP (2004–09)
Websiterustielee.co.uk

Rustie Lee (born 22 May 1949[2][3]) is a British-Jamaican television personality, television chef, actress and singer. She participated on the Channel 5 reality-television show Celebrity Super Spa in 2013; ITV's Who's Doing the Dishes?, hosted by Brian McFadden, in 2016; and Celebrity Coach Trip in 2020. Between 2015 and 2017 Rustie also appeared on children's BBC TV programme Twirlywoos.

Early life

She attended the girls' grammar school King Edward VI Handsworth School.[4]

Broadcasting career

Lee first came to public attention for her appearances during the 1980s on the morning television station TV-am.[5] Following her initial successful period as a chef on TV-am in 1983, Lee took over from Sarah Kennedy on the second incarnation of the ITV gameshow Game for a Laugh.[6]

In 2004, Lee appeared on Livings I'm Famous and Frightened! 2, a reality show featuring a number of celebrities staying in a castle over a weekend, taking part in various challenges and looking for paranormal activity, guided by a medium. Viewers voted for their favourite star, and the celebrities were voted off one by one. Lee won the series showing a keen interest in the tasks and occasional emotional involvement, giving detailed and varied accounts of how she felt at certain points.

In recent years, she has made occasional appearances on This Morning, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Daily Cooks/Saturday Cooks. She has also made appearances on That Antony Cotton Show, The Wright Stuff, Loose Women, and Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit on the Side, a spin-off chat show for Big Brother. She also appeared on the Channel 5 reality show Celebrity Super Spa.[7]

Politics

In 2004, Lee joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP),[5] and was adopted as their candidate for the Wyre Forest constituency in the 2005 general election. She also appeared in the party's election broadcast that year.[8] On polling day, she came fifth, with 1,074 votes (2.3% of the total).[9]

Lee stood for UKIP for the 2009 European Elections in the West Midlands constituency in June 2009,[10] but was not elected.

General election contested

Date of electionConstituencyPartyVotes %
2005Wyre Forest UKIP1,0742.3

Other activities

Lee claimed in August 2018, on British breakfast television, that she "started Caribbean food".

Lee has written several cookbooks, including Rustie Lee's Caribbean Cookbook (1985)[11] and A Taste of the Caribbean (2007).[12]

In 2008, Lee briefly joined the cast of EastEnders as Gus Smith's aunt Opal Smith.[13] She also appeared briefly in Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice. She appeared in the last episode of Benidorm Series 6 as Queenie. She also narrated children's stories for BBC Radio in Birmingham.

Lee has recorded as a singer. In 1985, she released the album Invitation to Party,[14] including her cover versions of "Barbados"[15] and "My Toot Toot". In 1994, she released a further single, "You'd Better Phone", paired with a B side cover of Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle) by The Outhere Brothers[16] She also sang on a number of her appearances on Big Brother's Bit on the Side.

Lee has appeared in several pantomime productions including Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan among others.

Filmography

Year Title Type Role Notes
1983–1989, 1991 TV-am/Good Morning Britain 1983 TV Herself Chef and Cookery Expert
1984–1985 Game for a Laugh TV Herself Presenter/Host
1984 Punchlines TV Herself 2 Episodes
1986–1989 Blankety Blank TV Herself 4 Episodes
1997 Harry Hill TV Herself 1 Episode
1999 Mad Cows Film Mama Joy
2001 Doctors TV Joan Preston 1 Episode, Episode Titled: "Hot Pants"
2004 I'm Famous and Frightened! TV Herself Series 2 Contestant, Winner
2005 The Alan Titchmarsh Show TV Herself 1 Episode
2005 18 Stone of Idiot TV Herself 1 Episode
2007 That Antony Cotton Show TV Herself 1 Episode
2008 The Wright Stuff TV Herself 1 Episode, Panelist
2008 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway TV Herself 1 episode
2008–2009 Loose Women TV Herself 3 Episodes
2008 EastEnders TV Opal 2 Episodes
2008–2009 Mist: Sheepdog Tales TV Effie Heifer/Sandra Sow 3 Episodes
2008 Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice TV Herself
2012–2013,2016– This Morning TV Herself 2 Episodes, Chef
2012–2014 Big Brother's Bit on the Side TV Herself Guest, 17 Episodes
2013 Celebrity Big Brother TV Herself Day 8
2013 Celebrity Super Spa TV Herself Contestant, 6 Episodes
2013, 2016 Pointless Celebrities TV Herself 1 Episode, 1980s Special
2014 Benidorm TV Queenie 1 Episode
2015 Good Morning Britain 2014 Guest Herself 1 Episode
2015– Clean and Dirty Herself Presenter Role
2016 Who's Doing the Dishes? TV Herself Participant Series 3 Episode 27
2017-2019 Twirlywoos TV Narrator Series 1–3, All Episodes
2017 The Real Marigold Hotel TV Herself Series 2, 4 Episodes
2019 Tipping Point: Lucky Stars TV Herself Series 6, 1 Episode, Christmas Special
2019 Tenable All Stars (Christmas Special) TV Herself 1 Episode, Christmas Special
2020 Celebrity Coach Trip TV Herself 7 Episodes
2021 Celebrity Gogglebox TV Herself Series 3 Episode 9 (Black To Front Special)
2022 Fame in the Family TV Herself Celebrity dinner party host

References

  1. "Who is Rustie Lee? Meet the cast of The Real Marigold Hotel series two". Radio Times. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. @Rustie_Lee (May 22, 2020). "Yes it's my Birthday 🍰 today many thanks for all the good wishes. And if it's your Birthday today like ⁦…" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. "REIT HEALTHCARE (UK) LIMITED. Free business summary taken from official companies house information. Free alerts. Registered as 07782160".
  4. Sunday Mirror 29 August 1993, page 30
  5. 1 2 "TV chef is UKIP's latest recruit". BBC. 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  6. Dodd, Ros (1999-08-12). "Rustie's fit for a shining star turn; Singer, restaurateur and now film star. Life's blooming for Birmingham's Rustie Lee, says Ros Dodd". The Birmingham Post.
  7. "Channel 5 – Celebrity Super Spa". Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  8. "Rustie Lee on UKIP's immigration policy". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  9. "Result: Wyre Forest". BBC News. 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  10. "European Election Candidates, West Midlands".
  11. Rustie Lee's Caribbean Cookbook. ASIN 0004112873.
  12. Rustie Lee – A Taste of the Caribbean. ASIN 0954851854.
  13. "Rustie's EastEnders role". Sunday Mirror. 2008-02-03. Archived from the original on 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  14. "Rustie Lee – Invitation To Party". Discogs. 1985.
  15. "Rustie Lee "Barbados"". Archived from the original on 2021-12-22 via www.youtube.com.
  16. "Rustie Lee – You'd Better Phone". Archived from the original on 2021-12-22 via www.youtube.com.
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