Kathleen de Leon Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathleen de Leon Jones
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Kathleen de Leon Jones performing with Hi-5 in January 2006
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| Born |
Kathleen de Leon
1 September 1977 Manila, Philippines
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| Nationality |
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1997–2009 |
| Spouse(s) |
Daniel Jones
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
Kathleen de Leon Jones (born 1 September 1977) is an Australian actress, dancer, and singer. She was born in the Philippines. Kathleen was one of the first members of the famous Australian children's music group Hi-5. She was with the group from 1998 to 2006, helping them win an ARIA Award. She left Hi-5 after nine years.
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Kathleen's Early Life and Family
Kathleen de Leon was born in Manila, Philippines, on 1 September 1977. She moved to Australia with her parents in 1978. Kathleen is the oldest of three sisters. Her younger sisters, Jennifer and Melanie, were born in Australia. Kathleen spent most of her childhood in Sydney.
In 2000, Kathleen met her future husband, Daniel Jones. Daniel was a member of the popular Australian pop band Savage Garden. They met at the Logie Awards, which celebrates Australian television.
After dating for over three years, Daniel asked Kathleen to marry him in 2003. This surprise proposal happened at his 30th birthday party in Brisbane. Many guests, including Daniel's parents, were very surprised and happy.
Kathleen and Daniel got married on 9 October 2005. Their wedding took place at a beautiful resort on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Daniel even wrote a special song for Kathleen called "Love Is Enough."
The couple welcomed their first daughter, Mikayla, on 26 July 2006. Later, on 30 October 2010, their second daughter, Keira, was born.
Kathleen's Journey to Music and Dance
Kathleen started singing and dancing when she was very young. She taught herself to play the guitar. Because of her talent, her parents enrolled her in The McDonald College. This is a special performing arts school in Sydney, Australia.
At the school, Kathleen studied dance, drama, and singing. She even won scholarships to help her study there. In her free time, she would go to auditions for professional roles.
Kathleen also trained at the Australian College of Entertainment. She appeared on several Australian TV shows. These included New Faces, where she came third in the grand final. She also appeared on shows like Heartbreak High and Swap Shop.
While performing at a fundraiser for her college, Kathleen was discovered by a director from the Cameron MacIntosh company. This led her to appear in two big musicals in Australia: Miss Saigon and Rent. She was even a dance captain for Rent.
Becoming a Hi-5 Star
In 1998, Kathleen was cast in the new children's TV show Hi-5. This was a big moment for her career. In Hi-5, Kathleen had a special puppet friend named "Jup-Jup." Jup-Jup's voice was originally done by her fellow cast member, Tim Harding.
Kathleen and Jup-Jup's part of the show was called Puzzles and Patterns. This segment helped teach children about solving problems and understanding mathematics in a fun way. Hi-5 quickly became very popular with kids all over Australia and beyond.
Life After Hi-5
In July 2007, Kathleen decided to leave Hi-5 for good. She wanted to focus on raising her daughter, Mikayla. Kathleen said she was still interested in working on TV. However, she wanted any new opportunities to be in Sydney so she could stay close to her family. Kathleen was the first of the original Hi-5 members to leave the group permanently. Sun Park took her place in Hi-5.
By 2015, Kathleen, Daniel, and their daughters were living in Las Vegas, USA. In 2016, Kathleen mentioned that they might move back to the Gold Coast in Australia one day. They finally returned home to live on the Gold Coast in 2023.
