Who is Lea T?

Leandra Medeiros Cerezo, aka Lea T is a Brazilian transgender model who will host tonight's opening ceremony, becoming the first transgender woman to host in the history of the games. 

Born on 19 February 1981 in Belo Horizonte to former Brazilian football player Toninho Cerezo, the supermodel grew up in Italy and still lives there today. In March 2012, she transitioned from male to female. Despite being a model, Lea T has a sweet tooth for chocolate and eats it every night. 

How did she start her modeling career? 

Senior Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci discovered Lea T, and by 2010 she was the face of Givenchy. Tisci made her the face of his brand so she could afford her gender reassignment surgery. Her resume includes stops in Vogue Paris, Interview Magazine, Love Magazine, Cover Magazine and Hercules Magazine. By 2014, she was named the face of Redken, an American haircare brand. The following year, Forbes  pinned her as one of the 12 women who changed Italian fashion. 

What does hosting the Olympics opening ceremony mean to her? 

"At this time, in which Rio de Janeiro and Brazil will be presented to the world, it’s essential that diversity is present. Brazil is a vast country and all its diversity should be somehow represented in this event,” Lea T told TeleSUR. 

"Like any other transsexual, I raise a flag. I'm talking about transsexuality because it is part of my history, but I'm just another member of this community. I know I have the privilege that the media listens to me, but the daily struggle of transsexual is equally important for LGBT people."