There's a good reason why Good Morning America chose Lara Spencer as its lifestyle editor. The morning news and talk show recognized Spencer's work as both a broadcaster and a performer/host. But if you were to try to guess her future by her passion in college, you couldn't be further from today's reality.

Spencer was born Lara Christine von Seelen. The youngest of five children, Spencer grew up Garden City, Long Island, a suburb of New York City.

According to her website, Spencer spent many a weekend with her mother, Carolyn, bargain shopping at second-hand shops and garage sales. She says the family didn't have a lot of money, but her mother could re-imagine each piece and turn those finds into beautiful decorative items. It's where her passion for interior design on a budget began.

But before all that, Spencer was known for something much more physical - diving.

Spencer attended Penn State University on an athletic scholarship for springboard and platform diving. During her diving career, she was nationally ranked and led her tam as captain during her senior year. A year that also so her named an All-American Athlete.

When she wasn't competing in the pool, Spencer studied broadcast journalism as a major. It wasn't long before her love for news and news reporting took over.

Paging Lara Spencer
Spencer's first job out of college was as an NBC page, a position made famous by numerous NBC television shows, including Late Night with David Letterman and 30 Rock.

NBC pages often direct the famed NBC tours at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, home to Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon and many other programs. In return, pages, like Spencer, work in several departments at NBC, an invaluable experience and a true training ground for aspiring broadcasters. Other famous pages include Regis Philbin and Willard Scott.

After her year as a page, Spencer was hired by NBC's sales department. She left the network, however, when she had the opportunity to work at a local television station in Chattanooga, Tenn. There Spencer did everything - hosted the news, reported on the news, filmed and edited the news. Her success in Chattanooga brought her back home, where Spencer took work as a reporter for 12 Long Island at the ABC affiliate in New York City.

While at the ABC station, Spencer created a lifestyle feature titled "Life Around Here with Lara Spencer." Her affable spirit and ability to tell a story caught the attention of Good Morning America. She was soon a regular contributor.

New Life with Old Things
Then, in 2004, Spencer got another big break. She was asked to host the popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. Spencer hosted the program for two years.

Then, in 2010, Spencer launched a successful television entertainment program, The Insider which competed with Entertainment Tonight. She left the program after almost two years.

She left to launch another program, this one titled It's Worth What?, a game show produced through Merv Griffin Entertainment and starring Cedric the Entertainer. Unfortunately, the program lasted only 9 episodes.

Not to be dismayed, Spencer took some time away from television (a very short time, mind you) before joining GMA as its lifestyle editor in 2011.

And it was a very busy 2012. Spencer also published a book, I Brake for Garage Sales, and produced a television special based on the book.

Fast Facts

• Spencer is married to journalist David Haffenreffer.
• The couple have two children.
• Martha Stewart featured her wedding on her TV show.
• Was given the nickname "Tanglefoot" by George Clooney after falling during a movie premiere and curtsied afterward.