Crystal Leigh was born and raised in eastern North Carolina as the only child of a mechanic and a marketing director. Throughout her childhood, she participated in many kinds of lessons: there was piano at the age of four, dance (both tap and ballet), voice, horseback riding, acting, and even a short stint with guitar. She dabbled in writing poetry and essays (some published), enjoyed drawing and painting, and loved to be onstage. But by the time she was ten, most of these interests had fallen to the wayside as she focused on riding American Saddlebred horses at various competitions across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. In high school she won the title of Rocky Mount’s Junior Miss and rediscovered her true passion – acting.

While attending The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Crystal Leigh majored in communications with minors in English and drama. She was involved in various organizations and performances on campus and was a member of the Kappa Chapter of Phi Beta Chi sorority. She received a B.A. in communications and then entered graduate school at East Carolina University, where she received her Masters in speech-language pathology.

Currently Crystal Leigh resides in eastern North Carolina – with her husband Daniel and their dog Sweetpea – and works as a Speech-Language Pathologist, evaluating and treating speech and language disorders at a Preparatory School. She was instrumental in the development of a drama program at the school and directs the high school students’ productions. She also works as a writer and an actor and is known by her license plate: LIVEWIRE.