LAILA’S STARRY LIFE

LL Cool J “LL and his wife, Simone, are great friends,” says Laila (seen at the 2002 BET Awards, where she won Sports Woman of the Year). “It’s in the name! They’re just really cool people.” Holly Robinson Peete “Our husbands played football, so we have that in common, and we do charity events together. She’s a great woman and a great friend.” Rachael Ray “I love her food and cooking and how she’s just a genuine person. She’s fun and super supportive!” Maksim Chmerkovskiy “He’s hot!” Laila said of her 2007 DWTS partner, who helped her win third place. She says the show was “one of the most fun times of my life.”