Early Career
Leslie was born in Adelaide, South Australia to Albert and Violeta Leslie. Albert Leslie, her father, was later known both as a former Olympian and as assistant coach to the Adelaide 36ers basketball team. A self-confessed tomboy when young, Michelle Leslie was educated at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide, and became interested in modelling only after her father gave her a course at a modelling school as a 15th birthday present. She enjoyed it enough to undertake a second course, and shortly thereafter left school in order to pursue a full-time modelling career. She soon emerged as one of the "most prominent catwalk and catalogue models" in the state, working for stores such as David Jones and Harris Scarfe.
In 2000 she appeared as one of the 20 finalists in the first series of the Australian Search for a Supermodel reality show, and was first runner-up in the 2000 Miss World Australia pageant held in Darwin. She was "catapulted on to the international catwalk" when her appearance, the product of her Filipina and Australian background, became in demand. As a result she gained work within Asia, appearing under the name "Michelle Lee". Off the catwalks she gained prominence as one of the two models involved in a 2004 Antz Pantz advertising campaign and, prior to this, as the face of the Crystelle lingerie brand.
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