Raising children these days can be a task on its own. Young parents don’t just have to hear opinions from family members but also have to put up with random strangers on the internet commenting on their parenting methods.

Jordan Driskell is a young father of five quintuplets. His quintuplets happen to be 5 years old. As you can imagine, looking after 5 children who are the same age can be quite taxing. Especially at 5-years-old when a child is curious and likes to explore.

31-year-old dad, Jordan Driskell decided to find a creative solution to his problem. He bought leashes meant for children to control his rambunctuous little kids when they are in public together.

In the past, Driskell had a 6-seat stroller that they used for their big family. However, that grew tiresome very quickly because the kids would be bothered when inside it. The stroller was also incredibly inconvenient to take anywhere.

This helps the little kids get to wander and explore their surroundings when the family goes out without their dad losing sight or control of them and hence keep them safe!

Driskell posted a video of the family’s outing to the acquarium that caused a lot of negative feedback directed towards the parents. The video of the kids on leashes went viral with over 3 million views. Hundreds of people commented about how the children were not animals and hence should not have been leashed.

Others commented, “If you can’t manage the pressure, don’t have so many kids.”

Other offered disdain masked as advice, “Can’t you just properly train your children?” Discuss to them why fleeing is risky.”

Dr. Deborah Gilboa, an expert in parenting and adolescent development had a different opinion. She does not think a leash will make your child think they are an animal. And if the alternative to a leash is to stay at home, then of course, the leash is a much better option!

Dr. Gilboa said a leash is a great tool for younger children or neuro-diverse children to be controlled in a public environment. However, she said that if a neurotypical child is not off a leash by the age of eight and nine, and hence has not developed their listening skills, that might be troublesome.

By then, parents should be able to effectively communicate with children verbally instead of relying on tools like leashes.

Parents should have the freedom to parent the way they want without facing unneccesary judgement from society.

They laughed when he married her, but wait to see what happened years later. But it’s easier said than done. People are partly responsible for their insecurities because they believe they should resemble the models on magazine covers. This is because the media and celebrities use retouched and edited photos and promote certain aspects as social norms.Some people won’t allow ridiculous standards to dictate their beauty and will do everything possible to change how others see them. People said nasty things about Amelia because she’s overweight. The fact that her mother knew her daughter was overweight for her age from birth made her aware that she would grow up to be a “fat” woman. But because many people found her cute and kind when she was a child, she was later bullied.People made Amelia feel like she didn’t belong, so she spent her days in her room playing video games until Sean came along. Their simple life defied all odds and led to a proposal and a small wedding. Their story sparked a worldwide movement to promote acceptance and emancipation.

A teacher was removed from her position at a California school for making a mockery of the U.S. flag and pushing her own social agenda.

It was a laughable matter according to Kristin Pitzen, who joked in a TikTok clip that she ripped the stars and stripes from her classroom walls because it made her feel “uncomfortable.”

After, she urged her students to pledge their allegiance to the pride flag, sparking backlash from many parents who were angry she was teaching children to “disrespect” the American flag. Keep reading to learn more about this teacher and why people are furious

Kristin Pitzen, a teacher at Newport Mesa School District in Orange County, posted a now deleted video on TikTok explaining that she removed the American flag from her classroom “because it made me uncomfortable.”

“I packed it away and I don’t know where, and I haven’t found it yet,” she whispered into the camera while giggling.

She then said that when the Pledge of Allegiance – a sign of loyalty to the country – is read in the mornings, she instructs her class to: “Stand if you feel like it, don’t stand if you feel like it, say the words if you want, you don’t have to say the words.”

“So, my class decided to stand but not say the words. Totally fine. Except for the fact that my room does not have a flag,” she said with unrestrained laughter.

After, she describes a situation when one of her students asked what he should look at while reciting the patriotic oath since there is no American flag in the classroom.

Attempting to hold back laughter, she exclaimed: “In the meantime, I tell this kid, ‘We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge your allegiance to.’ And he like, looks around and goes, ‘Oh, that one?’”

The camera then shifts to the wall where the pride flag is hanging.

Pushing pride

This wasn’t the only time she pushed her agenda on her pupils.

In another now-deleted video, Pitzen showed her decorated classroom for pride month with various flags.

“I pledge allegiance to the queers,” she said in the video.

She added: “I love you all very much – for the people who are out, who aren’t out. You’re appreciated. You’re loved. You’re enough. I support you. I got you.”

A symbol of freedom

The community, and school board, did not appreciate or love the teacher indoctrinating the pupils with her beliefs.

The video quickly gained attention and prompted backlash from people who felt that Pitzen’s actions were inappropriate and disrespectful to the American flag.

In response, several parents plugged the school’s lawn with flags, with one mother saying: “We just heard the school was short some flags, so we decided we’d help them out to show our patriotism.”

Michele Vaughn, whose son is in the military, continued: “I’d like to share with her, if she doesn’t know the importance of respecting the flag.”

Meanwhile, the online population was also enraged over Pitzen’s actions.

One netizen reminded Pitzen the flag is a living piece of history that symbolizes the freedom she enjoys today: “I don’t think you really you get it, teach them it’s for the people who gave you the freedom and happiness you have now.”

A second shared: “You stand for the people who fought to keep freedom and you don’t understand how good we have it, and to insult the flag which stands for our country?”

“Maybe she’d like to live in Afghanistan,” added a third.

Since the clip was posted in 2021, Pitzen – who has since deleted all her social media accounts – “is no longer in the classroom” and the investigation is ongoing.

The incident ignited the debate over issues such as freedom of expression, respect for national symbols, and the role of educators in promoting inclusivity and diversity in schools. It remains to be seen what further actions, if any, will be taken by the school district in response to the situation.

Has there ever been a more iconic pair of twins than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?

I simply can’t come up with a set of twins that can match the Olsen sisters in popularity and superstardom at the height of their fame, nor the impact they had on popular culture.

Their breakthrough came in the television sitcom “Full House”, where the 9 month old girls became famous all over the world. People couldn’t help but fall in love with the cute and charming toddlers.

Of course, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, and the twins are now in the middle of their lives – each pursuing their own careers. However, both are very restrictive on social media, which makes it hard to know what their lives look like today. Safe to say that after 33 years in the public eye, these famous girls have transformed and now look almost unrecognizable…

Mary-Kate and Ashley were born in 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California. Ashley arrived first, followed by her sister two minutes later.

As their last name hints at, their family has its roots in Scandinavia. The Olsen family is of Danish and Norwegian origin.

From the day the twins were born, their parents realized that their girls had something very special – they always laughed and smiled.

Many people still think that the Olsen twins are identical twins, but that’s not true. The Olsen sisters are actually fraternal twins, which means that they could just as easily look nothing alike. They only share half of their genes, just like any other siblings.

When they were just six months old, their mother took them to an audition for “Full House”, the popular American television sitcom which ran between 1987 and 1995. The production team had already decided on another set of twins to play “Michelle Tanner” in the series – but when the producer saw the Olsen twins, he decided to go for them instead.

The audience immediately fell for the twins’ character, Michelle. Her most memorable line of them all, “You got it, dude!” became a classic.

As most people may know today, Mary-Kate and Ashley shared the work of portraying Michelle. Because they were so small at the time, the production had to alternate between the girls, otherwise it would be unendurable for one so young.

But the production team still did everything to hide the fact that it was two girls who were playing Michelle. For example, her character was initially credited as ”Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen”.

The twins became so popular that the writers behind ”Full House” began writing special storylines just for Michelle. Mary-Kate and Ashley ended up staying on the show until it concluded in 1995.

Privately, Mary-Kate & Ashley was said to be very shy in school and they were even placed into separate classrooms because they depended on one too much, according to certain teachers.

In retrospect, Mary-Kate Olsen has talked openly about her upbringing as a child actress, and how she regrets that she was in “Full House”.

She said that she and her sister were like ”little monkey performers” in front of the cameras:

”I look at old photos of me, and I don’t feel connected to them at all … I would never wish my upbringing on anyone,” Mary-Kate explained in an interview with the magazine Marie Claire.

Parents divorced

”Full House” was not the only thing that ended in 1995. The same year, Mary-Kate and Ashley’s parents divorced. The twins were left heartbroken and it was a difficult a time for the whole family.

But the show had to go on and the sisters started to focus on new projects and movies. They worked harder than any children should have to do at that age.

As 6-year-olds, they founded and became CEOs of their own production company, Dualstar. Even today, 30 years later, the twins are still CEOs of that same company.

In the following years, they shot almost 30 movies, most of them being straight-to-VHS films. Mary-Kate and Ashley also recorded music albums, music videos and released a book series. Before they turned 10, Mary-Kate and Ashley were the youngest millionaires in the United States to make their own money.

Last movie together

2004 was a sad year for all fans who appreciated Mary-Kate and Ashley’s movies. Back then, the twins decided to release their last film, ”New York Minute”. Sadly, critics didn’t like the movie at all and the sisters announced that they were leaving Hollywood to focus on their careers as fashion designers and establish their own identities.

“We’ve been there, we’ve done that, we started out that way,” Mary-Kate told British Vogue.

“But this is the way we chose to move forward in our lives: to not be in the spotlight, to really have something that speaks for itself.”

In the early 2000s, the twins became increasingly interested in fashion and nowadays run two clothing brands with their own designs, ”Elizabeth and James” and ”The Row”.

Their fabulous clothing has become known around the world.

“If you want things to be perfect or beautiful, it’s a lot of hard work,” Mary-Kate said.

“Nothing comes easy. That’s just the way we were raised; that’s what we believe is necessary to do something different.”

Mary-Kate and Ashley have managed to shape their their own, separate careers – even though they continue to work together from time to time.

People also began to see a clearer difference between the twins – Mary-Kate experimented a lot with her style and became known for her slightly daring, bohemian look. Ashley, meanwhile, dyed her hair darker and it became easier to separate them.

Dated Heath Ledger

But despite all the millions and all the success, the sisters have also had setbacks in life. In 2008, the whole world was shaken by actor Heath Ledger’s tragic death. It was even harder for Mary-Kate, who is said to have been dating Ledger at the time.

Mary-Kate has also fought against eating disorders and anorexia, something that the tabloids liked to speculate about.

Today, however, Mary-Kate is feeling better, thanks to the help she received after she checked into rehab for six weeks in 2014.

”I think it’s really important to be able to talk when something’s wrong. I learned at a really young age that if you don’t talk about it, it can drive you insane,” she said in 2010.

Marriage and husband

Today, Mary-Kate is married to Nicolas Sarkozy, half-brother of France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

The couple started dating in 2012 and got married in New York in 2015.

They tied the knot at a very unique and private ceremony. Overall, Mary-Kate tries to keep her personal life very private. The guests at her wedding were not even allowed to bring their cellphones to the ceremony, for example.

Who’s Ashley Olsen dating?

Ashley has focused very much on her own career and hasn’t settled down with a family yet. She has dated many guys over the years and her dating history has caused a lot of headlines – because her past boyfriends were twice her age.

According to reports, she is currently dating 31-year-old artist, Louis Eisner.

Olsen twins’ sister

The Olsen twins’ little sister, Elizabeth Olsen, has really invested in a career in Hollywood and is embracing the acting lifestyle.

Elizabeth’s major break came in 2011, when she starred in the independent thriller drama ”Martha Marcy May Marlene”. Since that success, Elizabeth has continued to star in many blockbusters and her sisters sometimes show up at her premieres.

According to her, Mary-Kate and Ashley have always been great role models for her.

”It’s always felt as though [Mary-Kate and Ashley] have been women, while I’ve been the kid. But we’re very close and I look up to them a lot. I wasn’t really affected by their fame until I went to college. People would expect me to be partying and all sorts of stuff. It was really strange,” Elizabeth told Daily Telegraph.

As mentioned, the twins want to keep their private life very private and they rarely do interviews.

Rarely seen on the red carpet

And who can blame them? For so much of their lives, the twins have been hunted by photographers, fans and stalkers.

“We’ve spent our whole lives trying to not let people have that accessibility,” Mary-Kate explained in a 2011 interview.

Today, Mary-Kate and Ashley let their clothes, fashion lines and companies speak for themselves – they don’t have to be seen on the red carpet all the time. Sometimes they might show up at fashion galas and events, but there’s not much left of those cute twin sisters who took the ’90s by storm.

They now live their lives in different places and have grown up to be beautiful, independent women who stand firm for themselves.

But they will always have a special bond, like all twins.

”Our bond is really beyond words. I know when she’s hurting, I know when she’s going through something,” Ashley told Times of India.

“I know when she’s happy – whether I’m with her or not, I know,” she added.

I think it’s amazing to see what a journey the Olsen twins have made in life – all respect to them!

It was an ordinary afternoon back home from school when Owen Burns heard his sister screaming. He was annoyed at the intrusion her screaming brought, thinking nothing sinister of her squeals for help.

But when he looked out his window, he was shocked but recovered quickly enough to make a life-saving decision.

Owen Burns was settling in to play his favorite game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” on his PlayStation 3 when he heard his sister screaming from their yard. The 13-year-old thought she was goofing around and became annoyed.

Moments later the teenager looked out his bedroom window to see a stranger trying to drag his 8-year-old sister to the woods edging their home.

The panicked teenager grabbed his slingshot and got his hands on any immediate ammunition he could find; a marble and a rock. He directly aimed at the kidnapper and hit him squarely between the eyes.

The second time, he hit him in the chest. “He was swearing. He was cussing,” Owen told the press.

So cops came back today searching agian for this dudes sweater and they found it was actually a shrit thing he threw in…

Posted by Maggie Kay Burns on Thursday, May 11, 2023

The encounter happened at the Burns’ home in Alpena Township in Michigan in broad daylight. Their mother Maggie Burns noted that kidnappings were unheard of in the area.

At the end of the encounter, his 8-year-old sister was safe albeit probably traumatized from the incident. The kidnapper was a 17-year-old that the Michigan State Police did not identify but have confirmed will be charged as an adult.

“He really is the one that … I believe saved his sister’s either life or from something seriously bad happening to her,” Lt. John Grimshaw said at a news conference, calling Owen’s actions “extraordinary.” This young boy’s actions were nothing short of heroic!

He added that the young man should be commended for his efforts.

The slingshot the teenager used was nothing out of the ordinary. His mother bought it on clearance for $3. The teen would at times go out to his yard and target practice on old orange juice cans which apparently perfected his aim.

The teenager said when he first saw a kidnapper attempting to abduct his sister one thought immediately crossed his mind; the stranger if successful in his attempt would likely either make his sister a sex slave or kill her.

Grimshaw recounted the encounter saying the kidnapper, “came from behind her, grabbed her like you see in the movies — hand over the mouth, arm around the waist — and was attempting to pull her into the woods.”

That is when Owen reached for his slingshot and fired at him. When his sister freed himself from the kidnapper’s grasp, she ran inside the home crying telling her brother she was almost killed. An enraged Owen ran outside cursing at the kidnapper. He hurled a baseball at him which missed. He then attempted to hit him with his slingshot again but the rubber broke and made his third attempt futile.

The siblings then called their mother who had stopped at a relative’s place to help out while she had been on her way home from work. When she heard her incoherent and upset children on the phone, she made out the word ‘kidnapper’ and rushed home to call the police.

“I was in shock for a few days,” Maggie said.

The 17-year-old kidnapper was found hiding at a nearby gas station. He was then charged with attempted kidnapping, attempted felony assault, and misdemeanor assault and battery in Alpena County District Court.

“He had obvious signs of an injury consistent with those that would have been sustained from the slingshot strikes to his head and chest,” police said in a press release.

Maggie said she was dubious of his son’s story about hitting the kidnapper from 200 feet away perfectly on his forehead and chest. But the police confirmed the story saying when they were interviewing the suspect, the marble-induced goose egg on his forehead kept growing.

“You said I always lie!” Owen said to his mother.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” she replied. “It just didn’t sound real, until there was proof. It sounds like something you would see in the movies.”

“Mom,” the teenager said, “stuff in the movies can and do happen in real life.” Clearly this young man is a hero!

Looking at Jennifer Aniston’s success, it’s easy to think she had an incredible childhood that paved the way for a perfect life.

The 54-year-old is blessed with beauty, talent, and genes – her father is John Aniston, famed for his role as the mobster Victor Kiriakis in Days of Our Lives – however, life wasn’t so fortunate for her as a young girl.

Opening up about the importance of letting go of “toxic” anger, Aniston says of her once estranged mother, “thank you for showing me what never to be.”

As Aniston navigated through her formative years, her mother’s critiques on her appearance became more pronounced. Reminiscing about that time, she shared, “She was from this world of, ‘Honey, take better care of yourself,’ or ‘Honey, put your face on,’ or all of those odd sound bites that I can remember from my childhood.”

Jennifer Aniston was born February 11, 1969, to parents John Aniston and Nancy Dow, who were married from 1965 to 1980.

John, who died at 89 in 2022, was best known for his role on Days of Our Lives, that he played on and off for 37 years until his death. Her mother, who died at 79 in 2016, was an actor with a few minor roles in TV series like The Beverly Hillbillies and The Wild Wild West.

When Aniston’s parents divorced when she was nine, the Cake star said “it really screwed up” her mom. But, Aniston “was thrilled to get out” of the old family home in New York City that “was not a fun house to live in.”

Speaking with her pal Sandra Bullock for Interview Magazine in 2020, Aniston further explained how “growing up in a household that was destabilized and felt unsafe” helped her deal with life when it derails.

“Watching adults being unkind to each other and witnessing certain things about human behavior that made me think: ‘I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to experience this feeling I’m having in my body right now. I don’t want anyone else that I ever come in contact with ever to feel that.” The Just Go With It star continued, “I guess I have my parents to thank…You can either be angry or be a martyr, or you can say, ‘You’ve got lemons? Let’s make lemonade.’”

Outside of the family, it was also challenging.

”I was one of those kids who got sort of bullied, and I don’t know why,” Aniston said and added:

”I was one of the kids who the others would decide to make fun of. It was an odd period of time during fifth, sixth, seventh grades. I was a little on the chubby side, so I was just that kid.”

A lot of the time, it felt like her mom was hurling lemons at her.

“I have had to do personal work that was long overdue, parts of me that hadn’t healed from the time I was a little kid,” Aniston shared.

“She had a temper. I can’t tolerate that. If I get upset, I will discuss [things]. I will never scream and get hysterical like that.” Aniston, completely unaware of her staggering beauty, continues, “She was critical. She was very critical of me. Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning. I wasn’t. I never was. I honestly still don’t think of myself in that sort of light, which is fine. She was also very unforgiving. She would hold grudges that I just found so petty.”

Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, the Horrible Bosses star reveals that she never lived up to Dow’s expectations, and there were years they didn’t speak.

Aniston adds, “I did not come out the model child she’d hoped for, and it was something that really resonated with me, this little girl just wanting to be seen and wanting to be loved by a mum who was too occupied with things that didn’t quite matter.”

Aniston stopped speaking to Dow after her mom wrote the 1999 tell-all book, “From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir.” The star was reportedly furious that her mother had violated her privacy.

In fact, Aniston was so upset that she didn’t invite her mother to her 2000 wedding to Brad Pitt, although they eventually reconciled after the couple divorced.

But she reportedly hadn’t seen her mother in several years prior to the death of Dow, who earlier suffered a couple of strokes.

Meanwhile, the relationship she had with her dad was quite different.

“He thought I was going down the road of absolute destruction and heartache,” she said of following his path in acting. “And then I kind of got a whole different relationship with him once he had something to talk to me about. Which was, ‘Oh, you’re an actor. I’m an actor.’”

Aniston is way more than just an actor.

One of the highest paid actors in the industry, Aniston, who holds a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been listed several times as one of the world’s most beautiful women, and runs LolaVie, a haircare company. She’s also the founder of Echo Films, a production company with titles she stars in, like The Switch, Dumplin’ and Murder Mystery 2.

In June 2022, before he died, John received a Daytime Emmy lifetime achievement award, which was presented in a pre-recorded segment by his daughter, who praised him for his decades-long acting career.

And when he died, the comic posted a sweet photo of him holding her as a baby, along with a heartfelt message on Instagram. The Friends star writes, “Sweet papa…John Anthony Aniston, You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain…I’ll love you till the end of time. Don’t forget to visit.”

She also reconciled with her mother before her death.

“I forgave my mom. I forgave my father. I’ve forgiven my family,” she says, adding that it’s about honoring all moments, good and bad.

“It’s important…It’s toxic to have that resentment, that anger. I learned that by watching my mom never let go of it. I remember saying, ‘Thank you for showing me what never to be.’ So that’s what I mean about taking the darker things that happen in our lives, the not-so-happy moments, and trying to find places to honor them because of what they have given to us,” she said.

Jennifer Aniston is such a humble and impressive talent! It’s always interesting to learn about a star’s history and see them as average human beings. Still, it’s sad to hear that Aniston had such a strained relationship with her mother and we hope she’s found some peace.

Madonna made a bold statement at her sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, showcasing her muscles in a skimpy red négligée.

The daring outfit served a special purpose as the 65-year-old Queen of Pop celebrated her daughter Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James Kambewa Ciccone’s 18th birthday during the performance.

The Michigan-born singer had her daughter Mercy join her on piano for the 1992 track ‘Bad Girl‘, and her 18-year-old son David Banda Mwale Ciccone accompanied her on guitar for the 2003 song ‘Mother and Father‘.

Fans were left in shock at Madonna’s muscular physique, taking to social media to comment on her appearance. Many people wrote that she was too old to be dressing the way she was, while others applauded her figure.

Despite the controversies surrounding Madonna, she continues to make headlines not only for her music but also for her energetic and theatrical stage presence.

On Friday last week (January 19), two fans, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, filed a federal civil lawsuit against Madonna, accusing her of “false advertising.”

The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, seeks unspecified damages for the singer’s alleged tardiness during her December 13 concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, according to BBC. Madonna reportedly went on at 10:45 pm due to “sound check issues,” causing confusion among concertgoers who believed she was hours late.

Madonna’s recent health struggles, including a serious bacterial infection that led to a 48-hour medically induced coma and the star being revived by NARCAN injection in June, have not deterred her from continuing her music career. The singer, with 44.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, is currently on her Celebration Tour, which has grossed $77.4 million over 79 dates.

Teaming up with creative director Lewis James and musical director Stuart Price, Madonna has curated a spectacular stage presentation for her 12th concert tour, honoring her four-decade-long career. Instead of a traditional band or singer, Madonna chose RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 champion Bob the Drag Queen as the opening act for her shows.

Despite Madonna’s previous health setbacks, including knee and hip injuries that led to the cancellation of 14 shows during her Madame X Tour in 2019-2020, as per USA Today, she remains resilient. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic posed further challenges, but Madonna underwent knee surgery in April 2020, followed by hip surgery in November 2020, along with regenerative treatment for “missing cartilage,” the Mirror detailed.

Looking ahead, Madonna has plans to direct her own Universal Pictures biopic titled Little Sparrow, featuring actress and three-time Emmy winner Julia Garner.

Collaborating on the script with Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, Madonna eventually brought Independent Spirit Award-winning screenwriter Erin Wilson on board after Cody’s departure. The biopic is set to explore Madonna’s illustrious career and personal journey.

Leslie Uggams has had a fascinating career as an actress on the big screen and on the stage.

Probably best known for her role in the Deadpool series the Harlem-born singer and actress has had a successful career spanning seven decades.

But behind the scenes, her personal life could be the subject of a movie after she tied the knot with White Australian man Grahame Pratt in 1965 as their love affair throughout the ages has defied all the odds of interracial love...

Leslie was a talented singer and in 1953 when she was just 10 years old she made a record for MGM. Encouraged by her aunt singer Eloise Uggams she attended the Professional Children’s School of New York and prestigious New York music school Julliard.

But her musical career was only the start of her journey and by 1969 she had her own TV variety show “The Leslie Uggams Show”, the first network variety show to be hosted by a black person since “The Nat King Cole Show.”

But behind the scenes she had met and fallen in love with actor Grahame Pratt. After first meeting him at Professional Children’s School of New York, where they were both students, the couple then ran into each other while she was performing in Sydney during one of Leslie’s celebrity tours in Australia.

Leslie knew what the repercussions would be of dating a white man as she’d done so in her teens and her aunt had told her not to entertain the idea of a future with him.

“I remember the shock I got once when I was dating a white boy,” Leslie said in a 1967 interview with Ebony.

“He sent me a color picture of himself. I showed it to my aunt. He was a good looking boy with beautiful hair. I thought he was gorgeous. But my aunt took one look and started in to lecture me. ‘Well he’s alright, I suppose,’ she told me, ‘but only for dates, huh, honey? When you’re thinking of settling down for keeps you’ll make sure you marry a nice [Black] fella, won’t you?’”

After her chance meeting with Grahame Leslie said she kept seeing him.

“I found myself really falling for him, which was quite a thing for me to realize as I was only 21.”

When she left Australia it would be 12 months before she saw him again.

The two had fallen in love, despite Leslie’s reservations over her family’s reaction and what it would mean for the two of them as Grahame would have to move to the U.S. for Leslie’s career. They got engaged for 5 months and Grahame visited her in New York.

“Knowing my family’s ideas about mixed marriages I wanted to know, too, whether they would really accept Grahame and not just tolerate him,” she said.

But Leslie had nothing to worry about as for Grahame being Australian had its advantages.

‘But of course we did get mail’

“He had none of the self-consciousness about the situation that a white American often has. He fitted in easily with all my friends…just because he liked them. And they certainly liked him, both the men and the girls.”

The two got married in 1965 and although didn’t encounter many of the racial issues that the rest of the U.S. was experiencing living in New York, Leslie said she still received hate mail over their union.

“It was not as hard as I expected it to be,” Leslie said of her marriage in an interview with PEOPLE. “I think the reason is that Grahame was not an American white man. But of course we did get mail.

“Sometimes when I go on tour through the States I get anonymous letters about being married to a white man,” Leslie revealed. “I remember I got one in Detroit of all places. It came to the club addressed to ‘The Little Negro Entertainer.’ They’re always addressed something like that and they’re not pleasant to read.”

Grahame became Leslie’s manager and the couple had two children Danielle, born in 1970, and son Justice, born in 1976.

By 1977, one year after their second child was born, Leslie had landed the lead role in the miniseries “Roots”, a part she received an Emmy nomination for her role as Kizzy.

Two years later she starred as Lillian Rogers Parks in “Backstairs at the White House”, a miniseries for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actress.

In 1996, she played the role of Rose Keefer on “All My Children” and in 1983 she received a Daytime Emmy Award as a host of the NBC game show “Fantasy.”

She also made guest appearances television programs such as “Family Guy” (as herself), “I Spy”, “Hollywood Squares”, “The Muppet Show”, “The Love Boat” and “Magnum, P.I..”

Leslie and Grahame are still together and very much in love 55 years later and as well as having two children they also have granddaughter Cassidy.

And the secret to their happy union – Leslie said, “We laugh all the time — but it ain’t always roses. We have fun together.”

The love these two have for each other has defied all odds and has stood the test of time. They are clearly devoted to each other and have supported each other throughout the years, they are an inspiration.