Reality television shows have since the late 2000s become very popular among viewers, thus allowing a long list of seemingly ordinary people to have a shot to fame and become a celebrity. Danielle Colby Cushman certainly fits into this category as prior to her attaining celebrity status, she was just a simple lady who made a living as a burlesque dancer.
In 2010, Cushman debuted on History Channel’s American Pickers show. Since then, she has garnered herself a wide range of fans whom she has charmed with the same personality she used to fashion out a career for herself as a burlesque performer.
The Life of Danielle Colby Cushman Before Fame
Danielle Colby Cushman hails from the midwestern state of Iowa, U.S.A. She was welcomed to the world on the 3rd of December 1975 by her parents who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. The young girl was subsequently raised in the ways of the religious group although she has since abandoned those beliefs.
Not much is known about the educational background of the reality TV star as she has not shared such details with the public. On the career front, however, Cushman has explored a wide range of career paths that have proven to be quite profitable for her.
At some point in her life, Danielle Colby Cushman set up a female roller derby team known as the Big Mouth Mickies. She participated with the team in the Roller Derby league for three years until an injury she sustained made her call it quits. Cushman later picked interest in burlesque performances after she was inspired by a performance she saw that starred the likes of Margaret Cho and the late Angel Cecelia Helene Walker, popularly known as Satan’s Angel.
The former roller derby skater went ahead to start her very own professional burlesque troupe known as Burlesque Le Moustache. In addition to Cushman herself who took up the stage name Dannie Diesel, the group featured a total of nine performers who performed all across Iowa and even in Illinois. Cushman has since set up a burlesque academy which she calls the Dannie Diesel’s Bump ‘n’ Grind Academy.
Apart from burlesque dancing, the multifaceted lady has ventured into the world of fashion. In 2012, she opened the retro clothing company called 4 Miles 2 Memphis where she was reportedly responsible for designing and sewing most of the clothes. The business proved to be very successful when it started and early in 2013, she opened another branch of operations. Sadly, due to reasons which were not made known to the public, Danielle shut down the new outlet which was barely a year old.
When Did She Become a Reality TV Star?
Danielle Colby Cushman’s rise to fame came in 2010 when she made the switch to become a reality television personality. It is understood that Mike Wolfe, the creator of the widely acclaimed American Pickers television show, had for over a decade been an acquaintance of hers and was directly responsible for her appearing on the show.
After having put the show together and sold it to the History Channel, Wolfe handed Colby the role of manager of the antique shop Antique Archaeology as the show premiered on January 18th, 2010. In less than a year, American Pickers rose above the ranks to become the top-rated television show in the non-fiction category. The show had a huge number of viewers that cut across all ages and made a lot of people to pick interest in the life of Danielle Colby Cushman.
The industrious lady has since gone ahead to try her hands in film and television production. While she is known to have served as a producer for the American Pickers show, she has also received production credits for other shows like Tempest Storm and American Pickers: Best Of.
Is the American Pickers Star Married?
Danielle is married to Alexander De Meyer, an artist and graphic designer who hails from France. While not much is known about how they met, it is public knowledge that they wedded on valentine’s day in 2015.
Prior to her marriage to Alex, the TV star was previously married to her long-time sweetheart, Robert Strong. Not much is known about her ex-husband except that he is of British origin and they have two lovely kids together. When the marriage hit the rocks, Danielle Colby Cushman in an interview she granted stated that Robert could not handle the fame that came as a result of her TV career.
