Natalia Vodianova

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I've been eyeing this chic woman from about 4 years ago. She caught my eyes by her beauty and simplicity. So I've been trying to figure out who she really is. And I found her biography.

Who is Natalia Vodianova?

She's a Russian model. One of the most talked about models in recent memory having to be a model of campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. Born on 28 February 1982 in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia's 3rd largest city where she lived with her mother and two half-sisters in unpleasant conditions and poor&tight financial situation. She helped her mother with her fruit stall business at the age of 11 and decided to moved into her own apartment with a friend at 15 years old. They started their own fruit stall to help out the struggling family and were actually able to help out her sisters.

Just before moving, Vodianova enrolled in a modeling academy, where she learned ladylike behavior and etiquette. Fortunately, she also went to casting opportunities, and one day, she caught the eye of a scouting agent from Paris. He told her that a great future was in store for her; all she had to do was learn English in three months.

Personal Life

Her husband is British real estate heir, Justin Portman. The couple had their first son, Lucas Alexander, on 22 December 2001. On 1 September 2002, Vodianova and Portman married in a lavish ceremony in Saint Petersburg. Their second child, daughter Neva was born on 24 March 2006. Her third child, a boy named Viktor, was born on 13 September 2007. Vodianova's husband and children often travel with her. Vodianova is also a dedicated philanthropist, an achievement that was honored in the March 2007 issue of US Vogue.

According to Forbes, Vodianova is ranked as the seventh highest-earning model in the world after Carolyn Murphy, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen. Her earnings for the past year were in the order of $4.5 million. (source from wikipedia, askmen and chickipedia)