Stranded on a Desert Island

When Leeza Gibbons first came to Entertainment Tonight in 1984, she was seeing stars, literally and figuratively. "I was this wide-eyed recovering redneck - I say affectionately - starstruck and awestruck." But after 10 years of interviewing countless celebrities as reporter/anchor for the popular show, she says her perspective "changed in a good way." That change broadened the thinking of the 44-year-old Hartsville, South Carolina, native and led to hosting her own informative, issues-oriented daytime talk show, Leeza. The show earned her new fans and a slew of Emmy Award nominations. That in turn led to The Teen Files, the influential series she hosted which has earned the coveted Governor's Award from the Emmy's.

"But as much as I loved it," says Gibbons, "I missed dealing with celebrities." Now hosting Extra, the entertainment series that also covers some consumer issues, Gibbons has found a perfectly balanced job - and one that allows her time with her husband, Stephen Meadows, and their three children. "Success for most of us means living life on our own terms," she says. "I took this job at Extra because they were offering great support for my production company - and I made it clear that I needed to be able to take my children to school." Spoken by someone who is anything but starry-eyed.