Leighton Meester Born in Prison!

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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.

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. Meester's rough start gives her perspective today.

"It makes me very nonjudgmental and open-minded," the 22-year-old told Us Magazine. "And I think it just makes me appreciate the things that I have 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.

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