This interview has been in the works for a while now. We finally made the connection as Cristy Lee swung by the station to talk about her time at WRIF, the many projects she’s been a part of, and her very hard 2023.
There are few people in the world I admire more than Cristy. She’s the epitome of the word hustle. She gets things done, and she works hard, in a nutshell – she has her s&#t together.
She talked about her time at WRIF. While she was on the air as RIFF Rock Girl, she was also the in-arena hostess at the Red Wings games. She said she really liked the on-camera work that she did here at the station which propelled her into other TV opportunities. She’s been on Discovery+, HGTV, Motor Trend, and lots more.
Her 2023 started off promising enough but fell apart a couple of weeks into the year when she woke up to swollen eyes. “A week later I was in the emergency room.” She was diagnosed with Graves disease and Thyroid Eye disease. She said Thyroid Eye disease is very rare to even get, with about 5% experiencing several symptoms. She explained what she went through and the issues it caused her. Sufis it to say, last year wasn’t great for her. “My entire 2023 was a wild rollercoaster” she went on to say. She said she jumped in and was very aggressively attacking her illness. She said one of the hardest things about her disease, was the disfigurement. “That completely changed how I looked and how I felt about myself.”
The year wasn’t a total loss. In November she married her longtime boyfriend, John. “The wedding was amazing!” That was a highlight for her and John, who she said was a rock by her side.
She said that 2024 is going to be 2023.2 for her. She has a couple of shows coming out. She’s still on her health journey, but she’ll be on a show called Battle On The Mountain on HGTV. She also covered the Performance Racing Industry show for Motor Trend which will be out in February.
It was great to see Cristy Lee and let her tell her story, I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.
Check out some pictures of Cristy’s journey, then watch the interview below.
-Meltdown-
Cristy Lee Returns to WRIF
It was great to see Cristy Lee back in the WRIF studios.
Cristy Lee is a beacon of strength. So proud to call her my friend.
Cristy Lee going through treatment
Cristy Lee went in-depth about her treatment with Meltdown.
Pictures of Cristy Lee After Eye surgeries.
Cristy on the mend…
Cristy had numerous surgeries to fix her eyes.
Cristy Lee during her time at RIFF
Cristy Lee working for the might WRIF as RIFF Rock Girl.
Cristy Lee with the guys from the band Theory of a Deadman.
Cristy Lee with Meltdown moments after winning the RIFF Rock Girl competition.
RIFF photographer Steve Galli captured this great shot of Cristy and Red Wing legend, Nick Lidstrom.
Cristy Lee on and off TV
Cristy Lee is no stranger to interviewing people who go fast!
Cristy Lee loves to ride. She didn’t get any riding in last year, I’m sure she’ll make it up in 2024.
Cristy Lee with her pups
Cristy with the puppies she’s housing.
