Aside from an insider’s look into the mining business, Discovery’s Gold Rush provides viewers with an insight into the personal lives of the cast members. The love life of Rick Ness, a long-running star on the show, is sometimes featured in the series. This is why fans are curious about his girlfriend, Leese Marie.
Background
Leese Marie doesn’t share much about her early life, but she was born on October 25, 1977. The 46 year old is four years older than Rick and also comes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It is also possible that they knew each other growing up. Leese went to college for nursing and worked as a nurse in Wisconsin before briefly getting some limelight from reality TV.
Joining Gold Rush
Rick Ness first joined Gold Rush in 2012 during season three after getting recruited by mining prodigy, Parker Schnabel. After six years in Parker’s crew, Rick left to form his own group.
As a rookie mining boss, Rick unexpectedly did very well. One of his most trusted crew members is Karla Ann Charlton, a survival expert and gold room operator. In season 11, viewers speculated that he and Karla were dating. Karla has since stated that she sees him as more of a brother.
It became a popular topic among Gold Rush fans and to stop the rumors, Rick made his relationship with Leese Marie public on Facebook in 2020 and announced she would appear in season 12.
Despite her appearance, Leese Marie isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She stepped up to the plate when Rick was struggling when a new hire didn’t show. Despite having limited mining experience, she helped out until a replacement was found.
Relationship with Rick
It was obvious that the couple had nothing but pure intentions when they disclosed their relationship but were met with criticism after going public. Rick and Leese were subjected to body shaming and trolling.
Fans of the show have suspected that his girlfriend had plastic surgery. Some believe that she had breast augmentation and lip fillers. However, neither Ness or Marie has confirmed such claims.
Rick proposed to Leese on her 45th birthday and revealed in a Facebook post how she stuck by him through tough times. Their relationship status has been rocky over the past year but according to Facebook they are dating again. When the new season of Gold Rush aired, Leese posted a message about why they broke up. Thankfully the couple are on good terms again.
Personal Life
Leese moved to Havasu, Arizona to start a new chapter in her life. Rick and Leese don’t have any children together but she has a kid from a previous relationship. In 2022, she joined TikTok under the username “lil_hurricane_” and has over 2,800 followers. With season 14 of Gold Rush starting again, potentially she will make an appearance in the show.
