EXCLUSIVE: LEIGHTON MEESTER: I WAS BORN IN PRISON TO MOM WHO WAS "ALWAYS THERE FOR ME"

Leighton Meester's upbringing was nothing like that of her Gossip Girl character Blair Waldorf: the actress was born to a mother who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for smuggling marijuana.
As Us Weekly reports in its latest issue, on newsstands now, her mom Connie was pregnant with Leighton when she entered federal prison in Texas. At 29, she gave birth while she was just beginning her sentence following a conviction for her involvement with a drug ring that smuggled 1,200-pound shipments of marijuana into the United States from Jamaica. Her father, Doug, also served time for being part of the smuggling operation. Today, Doug works in construction and Connie is a screenwriter.
"Anything that her mother and I did that was questionable occurred before she was born," Doug, who split from Connie in 1992, tells Us.
Meester's rough start gives her perspective today.
"It makes me very nonjudgmental and open-minded," the 22-year-old tells Us. "And I think it just makes me appreciate the things that I have now."
Gossip Girl director Michael Fields tells Us: "She's talked about it a little bit. She's not a person who is trying to hide it."
Now, Meester and her mom - who was released in 1986 after serving only 16 months - have a solid relationship.
"She's always there for me no matter what," Meester tells Us. "I swear, that woman knows everything."
Connie returns the affection. "She's very gifted, she's very talented, she's very intelligent," the 51-year-old tells Us. "I love her dearly."
See photos of Gossip Girl stars then & now.
Check out the latest issue of Us Weekly for Leighton's amazing story, her childhood and challenging adolescence, what her Gossip Girl costars think of her and how she stacks up next to Blair Waldorf.
See photos of Gossip Girl on the Hamptons.

Usmagazine