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| Natalia Vodianova (Наталья Водянова, born 28 February 1982) is a Russian supermodel born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), Russia's third largest city, she lived with her mother and two half-sisters in unpleasant conditions. Her mother's abusive boyfriends and a tight financial situation dogged her throughout childhood. Helping her mother with her fruit stall business at the tender age of 11, Vodianova 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 quite successful, all things considered. They were able to help out Vodianova's sisters, one of whom is an invalid. 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. Convinced that her life could change for the better, Vodianova did just that. At 17, she moved to Paris to try her hand at modeling. Delighted to work, she was a dream client for the Viva agency and was an inspired woman. When she was 19 years old, she made headway in modeling but still had not made it big. For some time, she was distracted however, after falling in love with and marrying British real-estate heir the Hon. Justin Trevor Berkeley Portman, a half-brother of the 10th Viscount Portman. She gave birth to their son Lucas Alexander Berkeley Portman on December 22, 2001, and posed with her baby in Vogue magazine. In September 2002 Natalia and Justin married in a lavish ceremony in St. Petersburg. Their second child, Neva (named Neva after the Russian river) was born in March 2006. Soon, Vodianova's phone was ringing off the hook. Gucci made her the new face for their perfume line after she had more than 40 runway shows under her belt, and then Calvin Klein called to hire her for their big Spring show. She was officially the hot new face in town and even made a brief appearance in Roman Coppola's film CQ with Billy Zane. Now, with campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein's collection and his fragrance, Euphoria, and Miss Sixty to her name, Vodianova is a true supermodel. |
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