Leah Rutherford is a vibrant performer from Redcar. Gracing the screen in the talent competition ‘Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream’, Leah sits down with Luxe to discuss all things work, important life lessons and downtime…
Getting To Know You…
Name:
Leah Rutherford
Title:
Student and a performer
Where is home?
Redcar
Three reasons you love where you live?
I love Redcar as my family lives there. So I can head to their place when I need them or want to see them.
I love the beach. I find it very relaxing and in summer it is beautiful to see all of
the families having a day out together creating memories.
I also love Redcar because, in the restaurants and takeaway shops, you can
buy something called a Paramsan which we call a ‘parmo’. You cannot buy it
anywhere other than in Teesside, and if you can it is definitely not the same as a
Teesside Parmo. It is a breaded chicken breast, with bechamel sauce and cheese! Then you get a tub of garlic sauce with it and it is perfect!
The Day Job of Leah Rutherford…
What do you do for a living?
I am currently a student and I have had a few jobs while studying including bar work and waitressing.
A day in the life of Leah Rutherford?
A usual day in life is when I wake up with my girlfriend and we have a conversation trying to persuade each other to get out of bed. To achieve this we sometimes have races on who can get ready first which motivates me as I am very competitive.
I sometimes wear makeup but most days I like to go natural and let my skin breathe because if I do wear make up, I tell myself that I won’t go all the way and I end up doing a full face of glam!
After this, I then go to University or if it is a day off, I will go shopping or to the gym. I love to spend time with my friends. I’m very grateful to be living with my best friend Kira, we watch movies together, and we plan our University work together.
I usually end the night with an open dance class which I love. On my Instagram I started a dance journey so I could see my progress and also to create a safe place for other people to want to learn dance and so they know you can start dancing anytime and enjoy it!
Any recent, ongoing, or upcoming projects or achievements we should know about?
You will have seen that I am on ‘MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream’ and this was my first professional job and also my first audition. As a person, I am very hardworking and I am hoping for a bright future in musical theatre.
I have many dreams. I would love to create my own music and tour. This has been a dream of mine since I was a child. When I went to my first concert I had this feeling that I knew this was what I was meant to do. I am destined to be a performer! The makeup world also interests me. I would love to work with different brands and then hopefully one day create my own line of makeup.
What does downtime mean to Leah Rutherford?
Downtime means the entire world to me because I am very blessed to share it with the person I love the most, which is my girlfriend Cara. We relax and watch Grey’s Anatomy, play Candy Crush, watch TikTok and just talk. In this downtime, we talk about our feelings, get everything off our chest, joke around and have a laugh. It is very wholesome and I love it.
Lessons In Life…
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Life has taught me to be grateful for everything and look on the bright side. My mum brought me up all on her own and we had a rough time. We have a past of domestic abuse and we got through it. The men who did this to us left my mum in a bad state mentally and financially, we had to go to food banks and get all the support we could get. But that made us closer than ever. I am grateful for everything now and I always try to stay positive.
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is losing everybody I love. Obviously, we know how life works but I have a fear of them not being happy with life and then their time being up. I just want everybody to be happy!
Which living person do you most admire and why?
This is very cliche, but I admire my mum. She did an amazing job bringing me up on her own and she did her best to make me happy. She has allowed me to chase my dreams without interrupting or telling me I’m not allowed to do this. I hope to do just as good as her when I have my own children.
What is top of your bucket list?
My bucket list is huge! But if I had to pick, I think I would say to travel the world. This world is huge and it has so many treasures and beautiful places to go and see. To do this I do need to have a career first to afford it!
Living Luxe with Leah Rutherford…
What is your most treasured possession?
My most treasured possession is a promise ring from my girlfriend. I wore it in every episode of ‘MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream’ and I still wear it every day. It is like a good luck charm and I also have the sense that no matter where I am Cara is always with me.
What does the weekend mean to you?
The weekend is the time when I can relax, make plans with friends, book a getaway with Cara, and currently watch ‘MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream’ on ITV1. I have always loved weekends and I think that is because I hated school! Having to sit still for hours writing and learning is not for me. I love being on my feet doing something and weekends allow me to do that.
A memorable holiday?
I’ve only ever been on one official holiday, two if you count Corfu for filming the show, but the first holiday was me and my mum. She worked so hard to get us on that flight.
We flew to Gran Canaria and I loved it. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom or the pool as it was cooler there and I don’t cope well with heat. We explored the area and had the best time.
I remember we went on scooters as we hired them from the hotel and we tried to go around this course which I don’t think we were meant to be doing and I crashed! It was hilarious, thankfully there was no damage to the scooter.
Best dress?
The best dress I have ever worn would be my prom dress. It was a beautiful royal blue dress with a stunning design using sequins and silver stones. When the sun hit it, it was incredible. This is a dress that I will never forget.
Recent Happenings…
Who would be your top three dinner guests?
This is a difficult one! So many people that I admire!
I would say, GK Barry, she is hilarious, I love her podcast and her videos! I just know that dinner would definitely turn into a night out.
Then Renee Rapp, what a beautiful woman she is! She came from the musical theatre world and is now a pop artist with an amazing album. Her vibe is incredible and I think that she would be a great person to have dinner with.
The final one is difficult. It’s between Lauren Spencer Smith, who is an amazing singer, and Max Balegde. I have already met Lauren on her most recent tour ‘Mirrors’ and she was so lovely and is somebody I would love to be friends with. Max Balegde is hilarious! He is also friends with GK Barry so you know that the atmosphere would be immaculate.
The last place you ate?
The last place I ate was a Greek food market in Liverpool. I had a chicken gyros plate. It’s run by a family and the staff are so lovely I recommend going!
The last book you read?
I struggle with reading so I have started to push myself to read. I’ve not long started reading ‘It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover and I can openly say I am obsessed! It is so captivating and beautifully written.
The last thing you listened to?
The last thing I listened to was ‘My Humps’ by The Black Eyed Peas. This is because I went to an open commercial dance class and this was the song choice. Me and Cara had a little dance-off in my room and for context, Cara is not a dancer so I’ll leave it up to your imagination what it looked like.
The last thing you watched?
The last movie I watched was the new Five Nights At Freddy’s movie but the series I’m currently watching is Grey’s Anatomy. The movie was surprisingly good! I love Matthew Lillard, he is an incredible actor!
Your three luxe things in life?
Charlotte Tilbury photo finish setting powder, my laptop and my singing equipment.
