Rustie Lee

Rustie Lee was born in 1949 in Portland, Jamaica. She later attended King Edward VI Handsworth School, a girls’ grammar school. Her career in public life began in the 1980s as a television chef, first appearing on the morning television station TV-am in 1983. Her distinctive personality and cooking segments quickly made her a recognized figure.

Following her initial success as a chef, Lee expanded her broadcasting career. She took over as a presenter on the ITV game show “Game for a Laugh” in 1984. Throughout her career, she has made numerous appearances on various television programs, including “This Morning,” “The Alan Titchmarsh Show,” and “Daily Cooks/Saturday Cooks.” Lee also participated in reality television, winning “I’m Famous and Frightened! 2” in 2004 and appearing on “Celebrity Super Spa” in 2013, “Who’s Doing the Dishes?” in 2016, and “Celebrity Coach Trip” in 2020. Her acting roles include a brief appearance in “EastEnders” as Gus Smith’s aunt Opal Smith in 2008 and a role as Queenie in “Benidorm” in 2014. From 2015 to 2017, she also narrated the children’s BBC TV programme “Twirlywoos.

Beyond her television work, Lee has published cookbooks, including “Rustie Lee’s Caribbean Cookbook” in 1985 and “A Taste of the Caribbean” in 2007. She has also pursued a singing career, releasing the album “Invitation to Party” in 1985 and a single, “You’d Better Phone,” in 1994. Lee has performed in several pantomime productions and a musical. In 2004, Lee entered politics, joining the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and standing as a parliamentary candidate for Wyre Forest in the 2005 general election.