The last time I saw Leisha Hailey was at the Women’s Night event in Hollywood in April where she was the guest DJ. She triumphantly managed to win the crowd round after the main event had sent hundreds of Californian grrrls fleeing to the roof party of the Henry Fonda Theatre. It was quite an achievement; not least since comic character actress Jane Lynch had entertained the assembled hard-to-please locals and celebrities, including TV personalities Honey Labrador and Megan Morris.

It’s fair to say that Hailey is the girl we’d most like to do. Or be. Smart, sassy, charming, witty and the social glue who keeps our favourite bunch of girls stuck together. The first time I met her at the L Word fan convention in a packed Thistle Hotel at Heathrow, I was struck by how comfortable she is in her skin, like her on-screen persona, Alice.

At 34 years old, Hailey is a delightful mix of emotional maturity and playful mischief. She was an instant hit as Lucy, the punk rocker in the 1997 movie All Over Me, and her career trajectory has gone skywards ever since. In the last ten years she’s attracted accolades, awards and the attention of k.d. lang as she marked her path.

She lives, very happily, in Los Angeles with her partner, Nina Garduno (see p26). Not content with sitting still for a moment, she has recently reprised her musical interest in the form of hip electro-pop duo Uh Huh Her. Her next visit to Blighty kicks off in Blackpool at the third L Word fan convention along with cast mates Kate Moennig, Erin Daniels and Eric Mabius. Rumour has it that she and fellow bandmate Camila Grey are planning a couple of UK gigs while she’s over this side of the pond. And with a new season of The L Word kicking off this month, fans will be able to get a regular fix of Hailey right through to December. But for now we present to you, Leisha Hailey: unexpurgated.

CHILDHOOD
Born in small-town Belle Vue, Nebraska, Hailey spent her youth in down-to-earth Omaha with older sister Kaydra. Living close to the US Airforce base where her father Robert worked as a pilot navigator, Leisha’s love of the arts was nurtured from an early age by both parents, who also encouraged her to study drama and singing.

What music did you grow up with?
I used to love the 10,000 Maniacs, Björk and Sinead O’Connor. My parents played John Denver and Carole King. It was a musical household – my dad would play the guitar and mum would sing and I would join in.