Controversial television presenter. Born in Edinburgh and brought up in the Blackford district of the city, Leslie was educated at James Gillespie's High School. He began his career as a disc-jockey, but entered television working for the Yorkshire Television production The Music Box.
In 1987, he moved to London to work for a satellite television channel and went on to become the first Scottish presenter of the BBC television children's programme Blue Peter, between 1989 and 1994. Later, he hosted the game-show Wheel of Fortune for Scottish Television.
Leslie gained a reputation for enjoying the celebrity party scene and dated actress Catherine Zeta Jones, who went on to become a Hollywood star and marry actor Michael Douglas. In 2002, Leslie was sacked as co-presenter of Granada Television's This Morning following allegations of sexual assault and drug-taking. Despite the charges being dropped the following year, his career lay in ruins.