LEEZA GIBBONS

THE TV HOST MARKS A MILESTONE WITH A WEEKEND FULL OF FRIENDS AND ‘GRATITUDE’

The TV host talks to Closer about ringing in her 60th birthday.

For her 60th birthday on March 26, Leeza Gibbons left all the planning up to her husband, Steven Fenton. “He asked me to trust him to create a memorable weekend, and it was like a fairy tale,” the TV personality raves to Closer. “From a cocktail party to a spectacular dinner menu — he thought of everything. This man is my once-in-a-lifetime dream come true.”

Still, Leeza happily made a wish when she blew out the candles on her red velvet cake. Turning 60 “feels powerful,” she says. “It feels full of possibilities yet grounded in the things I know for sure. My birthday is my mother’s birthday, too,” she reminisces of Jean Gibbons, who passed away in 2008 from Alzheimer’s. “That’s always made the day special for me.”

MAGICAL MOMENTS

Leeza’s “forever friends” — childhood pals, business partners, entertainment execs and fellow entrepreneur Suzanne Somers — gathered at the Belmond El Encanto resort in Santa Barbara, Calif., for a weekend of fun, which included an intimate dinner where the guests toasted the birthday girl. “She makes everyone feel special,” Suzanne tells Closer.

Olivia Newton-John couldn’t attend but tells Closer her friendship with Leeza formed in 2008 when “we walked the Great Wall of China as a fundraiser for my Cancer Wellness & Research Centre.” Even without Olivia, the evening had a musical moment when singer Billy Vera serenaded Leeza with his hit “At This Moment,” which she calls “my favorite song.”

“‘Gratitude’ is the word that defines the moment,” says Leeza as she prepares to embrace her next decade. “Suzanne tells me to get ready because the 60s are the ‘sexy years!’” But more than that, Leeza tells Closer, “I arrive at this milestone knowing exactly who I am, being proud of the woman I’ve become and excited about what lies ahead.” — Lisa Chambers, with

reporting by Ilyssa Panitz

Steven, 47, worked on his plans for wife Leeza’s birthday “morning, noon and night,” she raves.

Olivia calls their Great Wall of China walk in 2008 “an incredible adventure!” “What touches me about Suzanne is how supportive she is of other women,” Leeza tells Closer.