Leoš Mareš celebrates 50: From a fur-coated announcer to an Instagram millionaire. Funds charity with followers
Few names are as well-known in our Czechoslovak pond as Leoš Mareš. Seen as a celebrity across all generations, there is no doubt about his fame. Thanks to this, he gifted himself a truly special present for his fiftieth birthday. The three-part documentary Leoš, which you can watch on Oneplay, explores life in showbiz and gives us a glimpse into Mareš's private life. It illustrates his beginnings, loves, and even personal doubts that may surprise you. So, what made an ordinary boy from Beroun such a star?
A native of Beroun, he began as a local announcer at the ice rink and then moved on to the Cheb regional radio. At that time, he had no idea what turn his career would take thanks to the Morning Show on Europe 2. However, his early days on the Morning Show weren't an instant hit.
This changed with the arrival of Patrick Hezucký, who became his co-host and close friend for a long twenty-eight years. Leoš also created a very distinctive image. With his extravagant fur coats, he managed to stand out and show the world something new. In the documentary, he revealed that wearing a fur coat was like wearing the entire show business. He was literally unstoppable in it.
Multimillion Host
A luxurious Prague penthouse with an area of 403 square meters, all for just under forty million. Even so, this is how the well-known host lives. Plenty of luxury cars, exotic travel, and expensive items clearly indicate that finances are not an issue. Leoš Mareš is a brand in himself and it shows on his social media. On Instagram, he even has one million two hundred thousand followers as of today. A lot of his finances come from collaborations.
“For 400 thousand crowns, you can order a campaign on Instagram from me, which includes two stories, two sets of videos, and two posts on the feed. If it’s something where we agree on the way of presentation, the way I envision it, and you like it and I have no problem with it, with the service or the product, then it will be implemented,”
he stated in 2022 in an interview with Svetlana Witowska.
In his document, he revealed, for example, that at the age of twenty-seven, he purchased his first red Ferrari on installment payments. At that time, it cost him 111,369 Czech crowns per month for three years.
It's no wonder, though. Mareš is truly the embodiment of hard work. Over his career, he managed to sell out the O2 arena several times, host various shows such as Superstar, X Factor, Big Brother, or the Český slavík music awards. Additionally, he is the owner of several companies and a successful influencer.
A Life Full of Scandals
Apart from a successful career, Leoš's life was also accompanied by a lot of scandals. This affected even his first marriage with Monika. And she reminisced about their life together in the documentary.
"Sometimes I heard that Leoš was cheating on me, that he had someone. But I loved him unconditionally. And if you saw how he behaved at home… I had no reason not to trust him. I was probably foolish and blind. But I just believed. And I think that's the way it should be, that's how it should be in a relationship. Then we were two months away from the wedding, and it came out in Blesk that he had bought a prostitute,"
She shared in the video how she perceived the whole infidelity.
Today, both have their own lives, and the worst is long forgotten. But one thing is certain. Monika certainly did not have it easy with the nation's darling.
Leoš's DobroDen Helps People
The fact that he has his heart in the right place is proven by the presenter with his atypical project. DobroDen falls on January 29, when for twelve years Mareš has been sending money where it's needed. And in an amount corresponding to the number of his followers on Instagram.
This year, an amount of 1,243,197 CZK helped Kiss radio moderator and mother Bára Tlučhořová. She has been battling brain cancer for over six years. However, doctors have told her that unfortunately they can't do more for her. The amount is meant to help Bára's family and her twins.
In the past, money has been received by families with premature children, war veterans, or a mother after a stroke.
Source: original text, denik.cz, idnes.cz, extra.cz, penize.cz
