Gigi Gorgeous’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Giselle Loren Lazzarato (born Gregory Allan Lazzarato on April 20, 1992), better known as Gigi Gorgeous, is a Canadian model, actress and internet personality. She is noted for publicly coming out as a transgender woman, and maintaining her public image and YouTube channel during and after her transition. Along with being an internet personality, Lazzarato has also appeared on a number of television shows including Access Hollywood, Good Work, and Project Runway: All Stars, along with starring as herself in the popular online reality show The Avenue for three years. Lazzarato made her acting debut in 2013 on The Insider and has since gone on to star in three short films.

Early life

Lazzarato is the child of David and Judith Lazzarato (née Belding). She was assigned male at birth. Her family consists of Italian, Lebanese and French heritage and she was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.

As a young adult, Lazzarato was a nationally ranked diving champion. She attended St. Francis of Assisi School and later Iona Catholic Secondary School and attended George Brown College. At George Brown, she studied fashion, but eventually left the college to focus on her YouTube career. Her mother, Judith, died of leukemia on February 3, 2012, at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto.

Career

2008–14: career beginnings

Prior to her transition, Lazzarato was known as Gregory or Greg, and operated a makeup tutorial YouTube channel that was started in 2008. At the time, she identified as a gay male. Since her transition, her YouTube channel started to include more vlogs, fashion, and lifestyle videos. In January 2015, her YouTube channel reached over one million subscribers and over 130 million views.

Lazzarato has appeared on Project Runway: All Stars and E! Celebrity Style Story and has been featured on other YouTube celebrity’s channels. She was awarded the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award in 2014 for her advocacy on behalf of LGBT youth. She frequently attends BeautyCon conventions to meet with fans and sit in on panels about makeup techniques and the cosmetics industry. She modeled for designer Marco Marco, and walked in the 2014 and 2015 Marco Marco Fashion Shows.

2015–present: breakthrough and film career

Lazzarato has used her internet celebrity status to bring awareness to transgender issues, the LGBT community, and anti-bullying. Her image was featured in a montage of transgender celebrities in the ABC 20/20 documentary about Caitlyn Jenner’s transition.

In early 2015, Lazzarato starred in fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson’s debut short film “I Hate Myselfie” as Amber. She said she looked to Rachel McAdams’ portrayal of Regina George while playing Amber. She has since reprised her role as Amber in I Hate Myselfie’s sequel. In May, it was announced that Lazzarato would be partnering with Crest Canada to be the face of the new Crest 3D White Brilliance Line.

In June 2015, it was announced that Lazzarato had teamed up with singer Miley Cyrus and had joined Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation’s Marie Claire “#InstaPride” campaign. The campaign included a series of photos and an announcement by Cyrus that she and Lazzarato were working on a secret project. The project later turned out to be a spread in American magazine Marie Claire featuring them both. Lazzarato signed a partnership with ‘Too Faced Cosmetics’ in which she starred in the cosmetic commercial film “Better Than Sex” which premiered on July 9, 2015. At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Lazzarato, along with a group of drag queens, introduced Miley Cyrus for her debut performance of Dooo It! from Cyrus’s new album Miley Cyrus and her Dead Petz.

In September, 2015, Lazzarato had a two-page spread in People magazine. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a special guest that same month. Lazzarato was featured in Kylie Jenner’s app “Kylie” where she filmed several make up tip videos. On September 18, she won the Streamy Award for “Best Beauty Series”. It was announced on October 7 that Lazzarato would star in Adam Lambert’s video for his song “Another Lonely Night”.

Personal life

Lazzarato, who had previously identified herself as bisexual, came out as lesbian in a YouTube video on September 14, 2016. Lazzarato is a practicing Roman Catholic and describes herself as religious.

Transition

Lazzarato announced that she was a transgender woman in December 2013. Since then she has undergone electrolysis, tracheal shave, hormone replacement therapy, facial feminization surgery, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation. She legally had her name changed to Gigi Loren Lazzarato on March 8, 2014.

In a September 2015 issue of People Magazine, Lazzarato credited transgender model and performing artist, Amanda Lepore and her mother’s death for sparking her transition.

Dubai deportation

On 9 August 2016, Lazzarato was detained in the United Arab Emirates and had her passport taken by airport officials and immigration officers at the Dubai International Airport. She was denied entry in to Dubai for being a transgender woman, as the government does not recognize her gender as legitimate even though, according to Lazzarato, the gender on her passport states female and not male. Dubai officials, however, said that the gender on her passport stated male. The “imitation of women by men” is illegal in the UAE, and violators can face up to a year in jail. Lazzarato was released after spending over five hours being detained. The “#JusticeForGigi” hashtag surfaced on Twitter, with fans and supporters calling for Lazzarato’s release and a reform in anti-LGBTQ laws. It was not the first time a transgender person was detained in Dubai. In 2014, two Brazilian transgender women were also detained and had their passports taken. Lazzarato, before leaving Dubai for Sweden, responded to the incident by calling for equality and legal protections for LGBTQ people.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards