When asked about her life’s inspiration, Leighton explained, "My mother Connie inspires me. She's an amazing woman. When I was a kid I wanted to be an actress and she completely backed me. She is her own person, very eccentric, very individual."
Leighton continued, "I was a bit of a goofball. I wanted to be a counselor, help people, but then I discovered this other side to people. I was easy to pick on because of my acting. I realized that there are a lot of people out there who just aren't very nice. I stopped going to school - I was a bit rebellious and just didn't go. My mother was fine about it."