High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! LuAnn de Lesseps, known as Countess LuAnn or The Countess (born May 17, 1965) is an American television personality, recording artist, and former fashion model best known for her appearances on the Bravo show The Real Housewives of New York City. Her courtesy title comes from her previous marriage to Frenchman Count Alexandre de Lesseps, a descendant of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the architect of the Suez Canal.