John Leslie Stott was born on 22 February 1965 in Edinburgh. He was raised by his parents, Les Stott and Lexia Stott, and grew up with one sibling, Grant Stott. When he was younger, he sang in a church choir. After school, he studied music and worked as a DJ in Copenhagen and in nightclubs in Edinburgh and Newcastle.

His first TV job was with Yorkshire Television, hosting Music Box’s all-night music show, Formula One. On 20 April 1989, Leslie became Blue Peter‘s first Scottish presenter. He was the second Blue Peter presenter to take part in the London Marathon, finishing in 4 hours 36 minutes.

Leslie presented Blue Peter with Caron Keating, Yvette Fielding, Diane-Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner, and Tim Vincent. After Blue Peter, he moved to This Morning and Wheel of Fortune, taking over the latter from Nicky Campbell, and his easy-going persona made him a regular on lifestyle shows throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

His career was derailed by several sex scandals, although he has never been found guilty of anything. In 2019, he was charged with sexual assault and was acquitted in 2020. He now leads a low-profile lifestyle in Edinburgh, away from the media spotlight.