Watching country crooner LeAnn Rimes and her husband, actor Eddie Cibrian, calmly handle a grilling by reporters during the Television Critics Association press tour panel for their new VH1 docuseries LeAnn & Eddie, it’s clear that the pair have dealt with pretty much everything critics — TV or otherwise — have to dish out.
• Preview the first episode of LeAnn & Eddie here
Tabloid staples since their romance began on the set of the 2009 Lifetime movie Northern Lights (while both were married to others), the pair decided to create a reality show to give a tongue-in-cheek — but, they insist, mostly truthful — inside look at their life and love.
“[The unscripted genre] gave us an opportunity to do something fun, work together, and at the same time, what’s really real about the show is our relationship. … ultimately this is a comedy, and that’s kind of how we go about our life, as well, is we laugh,” Cibrian explained.
“We wanted to actually kind of take our life back and have fun with our story, with where we are now,” Rimes added.
A clip shown to journalists displayed the couple debating the number of bathing suit famous bikini fan Rimes should pack on their trip to visit her gun-loving father in Texas. And that, says the couple, is the sort of thing they’d like people to see rather than the constant back-and-forth with Cibrian’s ex-wife Brandi Glanville that’s become the primary source of their press.
Cibrian’s young sons with Glanville will not appear on camera.
“This show is not an opportunity to fire back at anybody other than to, kind of, make fun of the fodder that has kind of surrounded us,” Cibrian reiterated. “And as far as the kids are concerned, they are not in the show, and that was a decision that we made together — that it’s not about that.”
“We do talk about the kids in the show,” Rimes qualified. “We do discuss Eddie’s ex-wife when it needed to be discussed … you know any tabloid fodder that might have come from her or any kind of situation that was happening in our day-to-day life — you can’t really do a show without talking about that.”
But for the most part, the Cibrians plan to keep it light. Such as that visit to Papa Rimes, during which his daughter also displays (raccoons and paparazzi take note) her own prowess with a rifle. And that’s just fine with her husband.
“Eddie is actually very salt of the earth, a very simple guy,” Rimes said. “He’s very similar to my dad in that way, and they really do get along well. But, you know, my dad always knew that I’d end up with a pretty boy from California. So
LeAnn & Eddie premieres Thursday, July 17 at 10:30pm ET on VH1.
Image/video: VH1 Photo Credit: Piotr Sikora
This girl is nothing but trash! There is no truth to this – if there was why does she not include why she tries to look like Brandi. And, why does she not include her fake tweets on different twitter accounts.. If Eddie does not leave her soon he will have nothing. I wish the press would ignore this girl. She claims she can’t get away from them but yet she sure let’s them know where she will be. Don’t worry Leann – Brandi has laid in bed with Eddie many times – they enjoyed family events, etc. Unlike you she does not need to convince the world. You are a joke. I wonder what all the true country music stars now think of you. Most likely the same as all of us – TRASH!.. I would think networks or sponsors would be terrified to link themselves to such garbage. This show will bomb. – no one cares enough to stay up and watch this silly little thing that dances with elves. O my gosh.. Class out the window.