Luisa Rey is known to be one of the leading figures in Russian culture. Born and raised in Yaroslano, a suburb of Moscow, she has been described as a fierce and vivacious personality who was devoted to her family and to her country. At the age of 17, she began studying the languages of literature and art, with a special interest in Europe and on the art and culture of that continent. As a result, she has managed to master the French language, Spanish, Italian and German, and is fluent in Romanian.
As an art enthusiast, she attended several exhibits and exhibitions of Russian art, which she says was very inspiring. In her mid twenties, she married a man from Spain, Orlando Figuereto, whom she calls her lover. They had two children and a successful marriage. Shortly thereafter, however, they decided to divorce when Figuereto became ill and passed away in 1990. Within a few years, Luisa was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which she regards as her most painful experience in life.
As she began receiving treatment, her doctors informed her that she was suffering from advanced esophageal cancer and recommended that she undergo a surgery called endoscopic sinus surgery, or removal of the affected tissue through the nose. Despite all the preparations that she had done to prepare for this operation, during the actual day, she suffered from terrible pain. To make matters worse, her nasal cavity was damaged due to the surgery. It is from this time that her true path to fame and identity as a notorious Russian defector began. A few months after this, she was featured in an award-winning book entitled “The Russian defect”, which detailed her experiences before, during and after her surgery.