Danielle Colby was born in
Davenport, Iowa, and brought up as a
Jehovah's Witness.[2] By 2004, she was married to Englishman Robert Strong with two children.[2] Colby's television career eventually led to the breakup of her marriage. In May 2012, she told
WQAD-TV that "fame and notoriety are not easy for him to deal with at all, so the relationship ended up not working out".[3]
Performance career
Colby owned and participated in a female
roller derby team, the Big Mouth Mickies, for three years until injuries forced her to give it up.[4]
While living with her family in
Chicago, she attended a
burlesque performance starring comedian
Margaret Cho and dancer
Satan's Angel. This prompted in her a desire to become a burlesque dancer; and, after she moved back with her family to the
Quad Cities area of Iowa,[2] she created the professional burlesque troupe Burlesque Le Moustache, with nine performers, including Colby herself under the stage name Dannie Diesel,[5] touring eastern Iowa and western Illinois.[6] As of October 2014, Colby owned a burlesque academy called Dannie Diesel's Bump 'n' Grind Academy in the
Rogers Park neighborhood of
Chicago.[7]
American Pickers
Colby had been a close friend of
American Pickers' Mike Wolfe for a decade before the concept of the show had even been developed.[4] Once the show was sold to the
History Channel, Wolfe asked Colby to work at the office of the antique shop Antique Archaeology.[8]
American Pickers premiered on the History Channel on January 18, 2010.[9] As of September 8, 2010, it was the top rated non-fiction series of 2010 among total viewers and adults 25–54.[10]
Fashion design
Colby owned and operated[citation needed] 4 Miles 2 Memphis, a retro clothing based company.[11][12] A brick and mortar location opened on January 8, 2013 in the
Wicker Park area of Chicago; however, it closed within a year.[13]
References
^"Danielle Colby Cushman". American Pickers. A&E Television Networks. Archived from
the original(website) on August 13, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2012.