Paige Davis

For five years, theater-trained actress Paige Davis was the face of "Trading Spaces" (TLC, 2000-08), a multiple Emmy-nominated reality TV show that did for interior design what "American Idol" (FOX, 2002- ) did for karaoke competitions. The host's winning smile, crafty girl-next-door charm, and quirky onscreen chemistry with the designers made the show a cult hit. After four years, Davis was let go of her hosting duties, due to the show's format change. She, in turn, shifted her attention back to her first love -starring in national touring productions of "Chicago," "Sweet Charity," and her own solo cabaret show. In 2007, Davis returned to "Trading Spaces" for its final season, and hosted the show anew a decade later when it returned in early 2018.

Mindy Paige Davis was born on Oct. 15, 1969 in Philadelphia, PA and grew up with her mom Ruth, stepfather Jim, and younger sister Brooke. The budding actress later claimed she was closest to her grandmother, who she helped take care of and who would later pass away on Davis' birthday. Her family moved to Wisconsin, where the future TV host attended Charles H. Bird Elementary School in Sun Prairie for five years until the family again moved to Texas.

At age 13, Davis found a copy of the West Side Story soundtrack album. It was love at first sound for the future theater star, who would later graduate from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Long before Davis held hosting duties on television, she was training in musical theater and dance. She moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduation to pursue an acting career, successfully booking commercials, music video gigs, and even scored the chance to tour with seminal surf rock band, the Beach Boys - all the while, continuing to train in voice and musical theater.

Davis had such a passion and presence when she was onstage, it was only a matter of time before she started touring with "Beauty and the Beast," one of the most successful and longest-running Broadway shows of all time, starring as Babette the feather duster. It was a dream come true for stage star Davis, who shortly thereafter, set her sights on a TV career after hearing about a hosting position for a new reality show titled "Trading Spaces" that aired on TLC. Producers initially turned down Davis, yet she persisted by trying to convince the channel that she was the woman for the job.

"Trading Spaces," a reality and design show modeled after a popular British program titled "Changing Rooms" (BBC, 1997-2004). Davis stepped in as host after Alex McLeod left in 2001, and became a household name overnight. She was the vibrant and cheerful ringleader amidst a circus of designers, carpenters, contestants, and a TV crew. That same year, after her divorce from Greg Benson was finalized - whom the actress married in 1994 - Davis married actor Patrick Page. The couple met while performing in "Beauty and the Beast" and lived a fairy tale love life of their own.

Page proposed to his wife-to-be on New Years Eve at Café des Artistes, a romantic Manhattan restaurant. The couple married on Oct. 27, 2001 and shared their special day with millions, as their beautiful nuptials aired on another popular TLC series "A Wedding Story" (TLC, 1996- ) - further endearing her to fans. On a humorous - and understandable - note, the theater-trained actress chose to stick with her stage name, as her married name would have been Paige Page.

The concept of "Trading Spaces" was clever and simple. Viewers tuned in week after week to see how two teams (mostly neighbors) redecorated a room in each other's homes for $1,000, with the help of the show's designers and carpenters. Aside from the Pennsylvania-born host, a crop of other cast members made their mark on the show - most notably Ty Pennington, who served as a carpenter until 2004, and who went on to host the equally successful design series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (ABC, 2003- ).

Still, the heart of the show was its host, and Davis reciprocated the love. She even wrote a book Paige by Paige: A Year of Trading Spaces in August 2003 that revealed her experiences on the show.

Sadly, two years after her book was published and just as episodes and re-runs of "Trading Spaces" became constant water cooler conversation, Davis was fired from "Trading Spaces." The producers wanted to make it edgier and felt a host was not essential to its design magic. It was also rumored that the host was let go because of a risqué striptease performance she did for Broadway Bares charity event in 2004. Whatever the reason Davis left, the show suffered. "Trading Spaces" dropped in the ratings, largely because its bubbly host was the most relatable aspect of the popular series.

However, the vibrant actress did not disappoint her theater fans, making a return to the Great White Way.

Davis' "Trading Spaces" departure did not dampen any of her aspirations. Her love for theater never disappeared and the former reality show host saw an opportunity to go back to her stage roots, playing notorious murderess Roxie Hart in the musical "Chicago" on Broadway and Las Vegas, and the title role in the national touring production of "Sweet Charity." Davis also signed a development contract with TV syndication company King World Productions to co-host a daytime program with Oprah Winfrey's celebrity designer Nate Berkus, but it never came to fruition.

In 2007, TLC announced that it would bring Davis back to the show that made her a star. It seemed the producers learned their lesson, offering the actress her hosting job back, along with designers Doug Wilson, Hildi Santo-Thomas, Laurie Hickson-Smith and Frank Bielec. The series ended after that final season, with Davis returning to TV as the host of "Home Made Simple" (OWN 2011-12) and maintaining a public face as a spokesperson for various home décor products. In 2018, Davis hosted a full-fledged reboot of "Trading Spaces" on TLC.