The story of Natalia Vodianova. The story of the "Russian Cinderella" Natalia Vodianova

Natalya Vodyanova

The life of Natalia Vodianova, like no other, is similar to the plot of a classic fairy tale. Behind a short time(so short that the blue-eyed model from Russia was nicknamed Supernova in the Western press) she managed to go from "one of" to the title of the main fashion sensation of the post-Soviet space. Natalya was able to convert a truly fabulous success into an opportunity to help others who were much less fortunate in life than she was.

The youth of the future supermodel in her native Nizhny Novgorod was unenviable. At the age of 11, Natalya left school, helping her mother Larisa with the sale of vegetables and fruits in order to feed her two younger sisters, Oksana, who has been disabled since childhood, and Kristina. In those years, Natalya suffered from peers who mocked her family's poverty and, which is especially disgusting, the illness of her middle sister. Pain to the point of frenzy and total injustice - these are two phrases that describe those events better than others.

When Natalia was 16, she was enrolled in a local modeling agency, and less than six months later, Vodianova had already gone to the capital of fashion - to Paris. The Russian girl did not speak either English or French, so at the castings she spoke using a mixture of Russian, gestures and facial expressions. Speaking of castings: Natasha attended them from 12 to 15 per day. It’s hard, but of course there was no turning back, and Vodianova, who was brought up in hardships, understood this very clearly.

“When I became a successful model, which, fortunately, does not need to be very educated, I understood that millions of people remained behind me,” BoF quotes her as saying.

The modeling agency paid a scholarship to a promising blonde with blue eyes - "as much as" $ 100 a week. This money was barely enough to pay for a metro ticket and cover other daily expenses, but Vodianova somehow managed to save money, and sent the saved amount to her mother in Nizhny Novgorod.

A ticket to Paris turned out to be happy for the future podium star. The model quickly found work, and the icy shade of her eyes and her face, which was compared with the face of Romy Schneider, a movie star of the middle of the last century, became her main distinguishing feature from thousands of other beauties from all over the globe.

“I didn't think I would be successful. All I wanted was to earn enough to ensure the safety of my mother and sister, ”Natalya continues in the same interview.

On fabulous beauty a young girl from Russia drew the attention of the most influential designers in the industry - Tom Ford and Calvin Klein, instantly making her a new muse. After that, shootings, shows and contracts fell like a cornucopia: everyone wanted to see Natalya with their face. That time was even called the era of "three Vs" - by the first letters of the names of the three most popular Russian models of that time - Anna Vyalitsyna, Evgenia Volodina and Natalia Vodianova.

True, her career almost ended at its dawn: at the age of 19, Natalia had already married Justin Portman and soon after that she became a mother for the first time. Thank God, the career not only did not end, but also reached new level: motherhood made the beauty of a Russian woman even more textured. “Having children back then was a real madness. But I was in love, and that seemed more important than anything else in the world. If I found out that my daughter became pregnant at the age of 18, I would have killed her for sure!” Vodianova jokes.

“In our culture and where I grew up, having children at that age is absolutely normal. If you haven't become a mother by the age of 25, then something is wrong with you."

And although Natalia still appears on the catwalk as a model, this happens from time to time - all the attention of the supermodel is focused on her own five children and important charitable work. In 2004, Vodianova founded the Naked Heart Foundation, whose mission is to "build an inclusive society that is open to people with disabilities." The results of the foundation’s work are impressive: with the help of sponsors, Natalia managed to raise more than 60 million euros for the implementation of various projects, and first of all, inclusive playgrounds. In Russia and the CIS, 186 such sites have already been built, where previously only unsightly wastelands flaunted in their place.

“Playing is what I missed as a child. Those moments when I succeeded, remained in my memory as the best memories. Play can be therapeutic, especially when it comes to children with autism. They are able to learn a lot through the most ordinary game,” says Vodianova.

Another successful model project is the Elbi app, which aims to promote philanthropy. With Elbi, ordinary users can support small charities by accumulating special "coins". They can spend it at Elbi Love Shop, whose partners include Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, H&M and other fashion giants.

“It is difficult to attract millennials to charity. This app takes advantage of social networks, the opportunity to tell a story and the opportunity to collaborate with your favorite brand for good. All money that goes into Elbi goes directly to charities and the key element here is Feedback given by these funds to show exactly how they manage the donated money,” says Timon Afinsky, Digital Media Advisor Natalia Vodianova.

Both of these projects would not have been possible without the belief that the fashion industry, in which Vodianova is so well versed, can become an engine and a platform for positive social change at the same time. Moreover, the largest market players such as LVMH, Kering and others are increasing their social responsibility.

Every child deserves the right to unconditional love, hope and happiness. Im so honored to be a mother, wishing a special day to each and everyone one of you PS: including the biggest child of all in the picture #WorldChildrensDay unconditional love, happiness and hope. I wish all the best to all mothers and those who dream of motherhood! #WorldChildren's Day PS. In the photo, my entire squad - including the oldest)))) Publication from Natalia Vodianova (@natasupernova) Nov 20 2017 at 8:24 PST

The obvious answer to the question “how to achieve success in the modeling business” is, among other things, the study of the biography of models. Their successes, failures, career ups and life principles does not have to be your role model. But you should at least consider that they worked.In this article we talk about the facts from the life of a top modelNatalia Vodianovawho played decisive role on the way to the success of the most ordinary girl.

Natalia was born in Nizhny Novgorod (not Los Angeles, mind you!). She also spent her childhood there. Natalia's family consists of three people, in addition to her, there are two more sisters in the family. One of the sisters has a congenital disability (a severe form of autism and cerebral palsy). Apparently, this fact was one of the rumors that served to open her charitable foundation for helping children - Naked Hearts.

From 11 years old Natalya sold fruits in the market, she did not go well with her studies. From the age of 16, she was noticed by an agent of a local modeling agency in Nizhny Novgorod. The agency advised Natalya to learn English, which she did. At one of the castings, Natalya was noticed by a scout from a large Parisian agencyViva Model Management. Perhaps it was these facts that played a decisive role in the career of the future top model. A few months later, Vodianova was already working in Paris.

Next came the contests, castings, shootings and offers from leading brands. Not without difficulty. Not without a gap. But I won't talk about it here.
Below are the first pictures of Natalia Vodianova on her stellar path (for a moment, pictures from 1999 and 2000, Natalia Vodianova is 17 years old here)

Further, after Paris, as you understand, everything was already much more interesting. Personally, my favorite photoset by Natalia Vodianova is the image of Alice in Wonderland. She's perfect for him, really, perfect...)

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A mother of many children and a supermodel who has become the embodiment of the fairy tale about Cinderella, Natalia Vodianova treats her body with reverence and care. For her, it is a tool in achieving a dream, presented by her parents and marked with the seal of Good Luck.

Therefore, the parameters of a 36-year-old native of Nizhny Novgorod have remained constant for two decades:

• With a height of 176 cm, the Vodianov model invariably weighs 48-50 kg. In the English metric system, this is 5 feet 8 inches and 106-110 pounds, respectively.
• The light blond hair of the Russian star of the world fashion industry is surprisingly harmoniously combined with clean fair skin and pale blue eyes.
• With parameters of 87-60-87, the mother of five children has a standard 38 foot size, which is attractive for shoe designers: a decent height combined with a miniature foot makes Vodianova childishly fragile.

In an interview about her own body, Vodianova expresses a categorical opinion about overeating:

1. “If you eat like a pig, then in the end you will feel the same way!”
2. "My body is my temple, so I treat it carefully and with respect."
3. “Which is more beautiful: being fat or being skinny? I think the answer is obvious!”

Such a philosophy in everyday life has borne fruit. In numerous photos, the top model looks the same age as her eldest son Lucas.

The childhood of Natalia Vodianova

The future wife of an English hereditary aristocrat was born in a small village near Nizhny Novgorod on February 28, 1982. Until the age of three, Natasha was an ordinary happy child in a complete family. Mom and dad lived with their grandparents in a large rural house.

Cardinally, the biography of Vodianova changed after the divorce of her parents. When dad left the family, mom decided to remarry. Soon, one after another, Natasha had younger sisters - Oksana and Christina. The new chosen one of Larisa Gavrilovna did not pass the test of strength and soon left the family. The fact is that the middle daughter was born with cerebral palsy and a severe form of autism. All worries about children fell on the shoulders of a single mother.

The grandmother of the top model on the maternal side has a pretty cool character and steel willpower. At that difficult time, she suggested that her daughter move to the city in order to provide proper medical care to her sick child. So the family was left practically without a livelihood. After graduating from the 5th grade, 11-year-old Vodianova had to help her mother sell vegetables and fruits in an ordinary street stall. Along the way, she had to take care of Christina, who turned out to be absolutely helpless and could not remain unattended.

As Natalya recalls, sometimes in the process of work she froze so much that upon returning home she simply screamed in pain, trying to pull her old shoes off her stiff legs. There was no question of decent clothes or teenage entertainment at that time. The only dream of the girl was the desire to earn more money in order to escape from hopeless poverty.

In some unthinkable way, Natasha managed to save some money and buy a fashionable white cloak made of Chinese leatherette. Proudly defiling in a new dress through the streets of the city, she listened with pleasant awe to the compliments of passers-by. It was then that the girl realized that she had a non-standard beauty that attracts glances. Natalia was flattered by the attention of older men. Peers considered a tall, thin classmate in old, worn clothes from someone else's shoulder to be an ugly duckling. The feeling of wealth and self-worth against the background of expensive things played an important role in the formation of the character of the future celebrity.

Family

About the father of the model, Mikhail Stepanovich Vodyanov (emphasis on the third syllable), most open sources of information contain unflattering reviews from the relatives of his ex-wife. Anna tried to dispel the myth about a man who left his first wife with a little daughter in his arms.

According to the young woman, the true state of affairs in the story of Vodianov's departure from the family is somewhat different than is commonly believed. Allegedly, he was forced to leave home due to the infidelity of his wife, which was confirmed after his return from the army. At the time of the end of the service of the father of the family, Larisa Viktorovna was already expecting a child from another and did not succumb to the persuasion of her first husband to restore the family.

The man is now happily married. In his second marriage, he raised his stepdaughter and successfully brings up a joint child with his wife. As Anna said, Mikhail Stepanovich always played the piano well and taught his youngest daughter to do it.

Dad never forgot about Natasha, regularly paid alimony and tried to improve relations after the divorce. But the former mother-in-law and wife deleted the man from Vodianova's life completely. Even the invitation to the wedding, the girl asked to pass on to her mother, but her father did not receive it. In a roundabout way, the rumor about the celebration in Peterhof reached Nizhny Novgorod, and Mikhail Stepanovich immediately went to St. Petersburg, wanting to please his daughter. His efforts were unsuccessful. According to the official version, he simply could not find the place of the ceremony.

As for Vodianov's unwillingness to participate in the life of a supermodel, these accusations, according to Anna, are completely groundless. He himself comes from a large family. His sister and brother are raising 14 and 8 kids respectively. All relatives are members of a religious movement that categorically prohibits abortion and promotes the responsibility of every adult for their child.

In 2004, a man had a heart attack at his workplace. For many years, Vodianova's dad has been supplying the car factory, so a heart attack occurred in one of the shops. Relatives claim that the disease was provoked by unfair press reports about his cruel attitude towards Natasha. On the pages of several well-known online publications, the Russian supermodel was given assurances from her father of love for her daughter and a request to come to her father more often. At the same time, Mikhail's family asks journalists to leave him alone and not to feed the layman with tales about the villainous parent who left the unfortunate single mother to the mercy of fate.

Mother

Larisa Viktorovna Kusakina devoted her whole life to children. It was incredibly difficult, because immediately after the birth of a problem child, the doctors did not explain anything to the woman. And she herself, due to her own inexperience in medical matters, noticed the problem with the development of the girl only when Oksana was 3 months old. In Nizhny Novgorod at the time Soviet Union there was little information about children with similar diagnoses. Often a woman simply did not understand the reasons for the tantrums of a sick child.

As the mother of the supermodel said in an interview with reporters, she had to leave the newborn baby in the care of her eldest daughter when Natasha was barely 6 years old. At night, the woman reproached herself for her strict attitude towards her older child, who at such a young age was forced to wash diapers and cook porridge for her sick sister. But there was no way out. Day after day, life circumstances shortened the childhood years of the future model.

At present, the troubles of the hungry years have receded into the background. Vodianova's mother does not hesitate to publicly thank her eldest daughter for the incredibly generous help that a celebrity provides to her family:

1. Gave Christina a brilliant education.
2. Oksana got a job at the Center for the Development of Special Children.
3. Relatives provided decent housing.

Don't even think about financial support. Every month, the account of the sick sister and mother receives an amount that fully satisfies all the needs of this suffering family. According to the woman, she had so much free time that she took up cooking. In hairdressing and beauty salons in her district in Nizhny Novgorod, a woman regularly appears with a basket of fresh pastries.

Sister Oksana

The girl is 6 years younger than her famous relative. Only at thirty she was able to learn to serve herself a little and picked up a pencil. Sister Vodianova is absolutely helpless and exists in this world only thanks to her relatives.

Sister Christina

A girl from the age of 11 has been studying abroad, which she owes to Natalia. She first entered a boarding school for gifted children in London. Then she continued her studies in the USA in prestigious university. Like Natalya, Christina doesn't care about Barbie dolls and other children's joys. The girl dreams of becoming a specialist of the highest category in her profession. He spends all his free time reading books on the history of art and foreign languages.

Thanks to the efforts of Vodianova, Christina celebrated her eighteenth birthday at a prestigious dance evening, spinning in a luxurious dress to the sounds of a Viennese waltz. This is perhaps the only mention of the youngest representative of the illustrious family in the press.

Healthy perfectionism and practicality are in Christina's blood, as her mother assured journalists.

Career

Natalia Vodianova owes her success to chance and own will achieve something more. The girl received her first lessons in makeup and proper behavior on the catwalk back in her native Nizhny Novgorod. The young man with whom they rented an apartment together advised her to try her hand at the fashion industry because of her tall stature and natural thinness.

Vodianova never had an inflated opinion about her appearance. Therefore, I did not stake on my own future in this area. Everything changed when a group of representatives of fashion agencies came to the city in search of non-standard faces for the covers of famous magazines.

As the supermodel later recalled in an interview, the eminent photographer Alexander Vasiliev noticed a clumsy teenager in shabby clothes. Outwardly, the girl looked like the cult actress Romy Schneider. The angular movements of the professionals did not frighten.

A scout from Viva Model Management offered Vodyanova an internship in Paris, making it a condition to learn English as soon as possible. And since in high school, studying for Natalia faded into the background due to family problems The task was not an easy one. The girl shared her own feelings about this with her relatives. Mom and grandmother unanimously declared that Natasha should not miss such a chance. The women insisted on Vodianova's trip, first to Moscow and then to France.

Contrary to the claims of most sites that the provincial became famous on the same day after the legendary casting, the first steps of the fashion model in the fashion field were not easy. In Paris, she was placed in a modeling school with a measly $100 stipend and left to sail on her own in the raging sea of ​​the fashion industry. Here, the long-term habit of saving and Natalya's amazing ability to work came in handy. During the first year of her stay in the French capital, she ran through dozens of castings a day, leaving her photos in an endless number of agencies.

And again, luck turned to the purposeful Cinderella, who wants to break through to the top of a rich life by any means. The re-casting in the company of Jean Paul Gaultier made an indelible impression on the Master, and the career of the Russian fashion model went up sharply. As Vodianova said in an interview, the brand’s modeling assistant was even fired because she didn’t notice a unique girl with an angelic look in the first show.

By 2002, Natalia became the most popular Russian model in the world. In the "track record" of the beauty, there are all well-known brands without exception:

• Calvin Klein;
• Ives Saint-Laurent;
• Pirelli;
• Chanel and an infinite number of other high-profile brands.

Now Vodianova has the right to choose and the opportunity to get everything that she has dreamed of for so long. Hundreds of agents cut off her phone, seeking permission to shoot or participate in prestigious photo shoots. The useless banana seller suddenly got the opportunity to influence fashion trends in show business, donate millions to help disabled children, participate in social events on an equal footing with the most influential people planets.

In 2009, Vodianova decided to end her professional career and devote herself to a new relationship, raising her own children. However, from time to time, a young woman with teenage forms allows herself to accept the most interesting offers from famous brands. Naturally, such services are paid incredibly expensive. Natalia does not lower the bar of her value.

On the wave of popularity, the model was able to participate in the grandiose Russian television shows:

• In 2009, she was the host of the semi-finals of Eurovision along with Andrey Malakhov.
• In 2013, she hosted the Voice. Children" paired with Dmitry Nagiyev.
• In the period from 2010 to 2014, she regularly appeared at all events related to the Sochi Olympics, as she was chosen as the face of this international project.

As part of the latest event, Vodianova had the honor of representing Russia during the transfer of the Olympic flame from Vancouver to Crimea.

Personal life

The first husband of the Russian beauty was an English aristocrat. Young people met at one of the parties about a successful fashion show. Then the youngest offspring of the oldest English family had fun in the company of fashion models, fashion designers and accidentally entered into a skirmish with an obstinate Russian girl. Lord Justin Portman, spoiled by female attention, by the age of 33 had a reputation as a ladies' man and a free artist. His main occupation for a long time there was a burning of life at various social events.

A new acquaintance was for Portman something unusual, non-standard. Vodianova's behavior did not fit into his ideas about the availability of Russian fashion models, ready to agree to anything for the sake of going to a restaurant. Justin tracked down the disputer's phone number and the next day asked for an apology for his behavior. By this time, Natalya had already received a complete dossier on the offender, including all the data, up to the number of accounts in foreign banks.

Vodianova herself does not deny that Justin's initial favor for courtship was greatly influenced by him. high position in society and a heavy wallet. Love came a little later. By 2002, the couple returned from a joint trip to Africa, the three of them.

The lord was in no hurry to marry, and the wise Natalya did not rush him with a choice. A few months later, the man made a marriage proposal, but Natalya categorically refused to marry in the last stages of pregnancy. She wanted a rich ceremony, as if she wanted to prove to herself and the whole world that she would never again return to the miserable existence of a half-starved childhood.

The ceremony took place a few months after the birth of the first child. The celebration stood out for its wasteful luxury and was accompanied by numerous publications in the press. Peterhof was rented for the event. For three days, guests could enjoy not only the company of the famous couple, but also the local beauties. For the sake of this, they even turned on the fountains on purpose, which work only on holidays.

Married to Portman, the model had three adorable kids:

1. Lucas Alexander (b. 2001);
2. Neva (born in 2006);
3. Victor (born in 2007).

The children of Natalia Vodianova did not save the marriage of the Nizhny Novgorod beauty and the English lord. By 2011, the supermodel finally broke off relations with Justin. The woman herself did not comment on the gap in any way, saying in an interview that the father of her children does an excellent job of parenting, and she will always respect him.

Some open sources of information began to intensively look for the reasons for the high-profile divorce in the misbehavior of a large model. So, Vodianova different time attributed novels with several famous men:

• actor Justin Myers;
• war photographer Scott Douglas;
• financier Alexander Peshko.

In 2013, another prince appeared in the personal life of Natalia Vodianova. The model was published with businessman Antoine Arnault. The French billionaire has known the blue-eyed beauty since 2007, when he ran into a Russian model while working on the cover of a fashion magazine. As the man said in an interview, he fell in love with a girl at first sight. Then the Frenchman refused to take decisive action because of the presence of a husband in Vodianova's life.

The news of the upcoming divorce untied Arno's hands. He began to actively care for the chosen one. The presence of children and numerous relatives of Natalia did not stop the ardent lover. Soon the whole family settled in a large Parisian apartment of a billionaire.

To please her common-law husband, Natalya gave birth to two sons one after another:

1. Maxima (born 2014);
2. Romana (born 2016).

So the most expensive Russian model became the mother of five children. She is more proud of this than her own dizzying career and fabulous fees.

Style, makeup, diet

IN Everyday life Vodianova prefers loose-fitting sportswear. Numerous family photos on Instagram demonstrate the absolute absence of eminent dresses or suits on the model on vacation and at home. The same goes for makeup. A large number of decorative cosmetics in the process of working on glossy shots incredibly tire the skin, so for going to the store or walking with children in the park, Vodianova always uses:

• semi-solid eyeliner;
• ink;
• lip balm;
• eyebrow gel.

The last accessory is a must in a supermodel's arsenal. It was thick eyebrows that became her hallmark for many years.

Once in her youth, Natalia was going to make them more sophisticated, trying to attract the attention of her peers. The granddaughter was dissuaded from such a rash step by her grandmother, who assured the girl that this stroke makes her face special.

For many years, a former banana seller from Nizhny Novgorod has been using a blood type diet to maintain girlish forms. She is allowed many protein foods, except for red meat, and her favorite buckwheat is forbidden. Gradually, the star got used to such a rigid diet. Now the absence of individual products seems familiar to her.

Vodianova hates fitness and Pilates, because of which her muscles instantly become embossed. Instead of tiring classes on the simulators, Natalia spends several hours doing contemporary in her favorite dance class on the outskirts of Paris. According to the model, this allows her to feel feminine and tender.

Filmography

By tradition, almost all celebrities from the world of the fashion industry from time to time experience own forces to the cinema. Vodianova did not remain aloof from the exciting lesson. So, in the portfolio of the model there are several films with her participation:

• "Agent" Dragonfly ";
• "Cork";
• "Clash of the Titans";
• "Lovers."

In the latest film, supermodels were offered to play leading role, which, however, on the quality of the story about the relationship married woman with a lover did not affect. The picture did not receive awards at prestigious film festivals. Apparently, therefore, Vodianova ceased to actively participate in the cinema and switched to another field of activity. A pragmatic top model of Russian origin does not like to participate in little-known projects.

Naked Heart Foundation

Back in 2005, Natalia Vodianova, together with her first husband, set about creating an organization whose goal is to help disabled children adapt to society. Due to her own popularity and recognition, the model successfully participates in numerous social events designed to collect donations. According to the Foundation's reports, through the joint efforts of its trustees, more than a hundred specialized playgrounds for children have been built in Russia.

At the same time, the woman actively promotes tolerance for sick babies, talking about her own sad experience.

In 2015, the activities of the Foundation were under threat due to conflicting information in the funds mass media about the scandal that happened with Vodianova's sister in a local cafe. Then the sick girl suddenly had a terrible seizure, which dispersed the visitors and brought the attendants to a stupor. According to eyewitnesses, Oksana's nanny was unable to bring the situation under control. Larisa Viktorovna had to come to the rescue.

The enraged mother of a disabled person threatened the owner of the establishment with all sorts of sanctions from the famous daughter, and it was quite difficult for Natalya to hush up the scandal. The model urged journalists to leave the cafe owner alone and stop exaggerating the situation.

Natalia Vodianova now

Now the model continues to actively participate in the life of the Naked Heart Foundation. To attract new investors, a woman from time to time performs at fashion shows, releases her own capsule lines of clothes and shoes, devotes a lot of time to promoting tolerance towards special children.

In 2015, fans of the model were alarmed by the state of her health. Vodianova, on the air on the program “Evening Urgant”, admitted that she had partial facial paralysis due to the unsuccessful work of the dentist. Fortunately, the problem turned out to be solvable. In the latest pictures on Instagram, the star smiles broadly, demonstrating the proportional work of the facial muscles and her own excellent health.

She is one of the most beautiful and successful supermodels in the world, a real Cinderella, and also a philanthropist and mother of many children. “Our Natasha” is called her in the Russian media, and it immediately becomes clear to everyone who she is talking about.

TASS/FA Bobo/PIXSELL/PA Images

Natalya was born in Nizhny Novgorod, in the simplest family. Her parents divorced early, and her mother was left with three girls, one of whom turned out to be an invalid with a severe form of autism. The eldest, Natasha, took responsibility for the sisters at school and now, not unreasonably, says in an interview that she raised two sisters.

Already at the age of 11, the girl went to work on the market to help her mother. In one of the questionnaires in the media, the supermodel wrote: “Illegally sold fruit.” It was exactly like that. Still quite small Natasha simply could not get a job officially.

She matured early. After graduating from the ninth grade, she entered the local pedagogical school, free time tried to earn money herself, and in order not to burden her mother, she went to live with her young man. She was 15.

A year later, Natasha decided to go to the only modeling agency in the city. A strikingly tender girl with long legs and a touching look was immediately accepted.

Assessing the potential of the newcomer, the teachers advised Natasha to seriously take up the study of English. But at school, she skipped classes past her ears. The supermodel admits that she even had no time to dream. Hard work and the absence of a breadwinner did not even allow one to think that the language might come in handy.

However, soon one of the best pupils was sent by the teachers to the casting of the French agency Viva, in Moscow. She was not going to any capital. For Natalia, the prospect of leaving her hometown was a shock, but then the wise mother and grandmother stood up, persuading the beauty to try anyway.

Paris

Even having successfully passed all the auditions and flew to Paris, she still regarded what was happening as an accidental luck that would end, and the girl would again be in the Lower. She began to realize that she had unique data and could only bet on her appearance at an event for which she went to the city of dreams.

It was an annual modeling competition run by the Madison agency. Jean-Paul Gaultier himself sat on the presidium of the jury, who drew attention to the charming Slav. It was he who insisted on awarding her second place, and after the award he offered to work together.

Despite the luck, living in the capital of France was not easy. Crazy competition with the most beautiful girl of the world, monthly flocking to the capital of world fashion, small fees, which were barely enough only for an apartment and food, longing for the family ... The first months Natalya devoted a lot of time to learning the language and wisdom of the profession.

The first professional photography for her was a session for the German Elle. The angelic beauty of the model from Russia could not be overlooked. Soon Natasha began to receive invitations to fashion shows from the most famous fashion houses, but she really believed in her star only when she found herself at New York Fashion Week.

Inclusive

It was at that memorable show that the girl was invited to cooperate by representatives of several fashion houses at once. Over the next three years, Natalia made a dizzying career, working with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, DvF, Chanel and Gucci.

Her beautiful face and amazingly graceful figure graced the covers of glossy magazines in many European countries. In 2003, she became the "face and body" of Calvin Klein, and in the next, despite the incredible employment, she realized that now her money and status would be enough to establish a charitable foundation.

The fact is that Natalia knows firsthand the problems of families in which special children are brought up. She often had to stay with her younger sister. But the unusual girl was chased away from the benches and playgrounds. The supermodel recalls how she was forced to walk with Oksana through abandoned construction sites and in remote areas.

The Natalia Vodianova Charitable Foundation is called Naked Hearts. Natasha chose the formation of an inclusive society in Russia as her mission. It helps not only disabled children, but also the homeless, and simply talented kids.

Cinderella

The fund's logo was drawn by English aristocrat Justin Portman, a freelance artist and art collector who gave the supermodel a real romantic fairy tale.

Vodianova, not without irony, recalls their first meeting. At a private party after one of the shows, she drank too much and saw a young man hitting her friend - at the other end of the table. She didn’t like him right away, so when Portman, who was also pretty naughty, tried to talk to Natasha, she answered sharply.

The model says that that evening they cursed rudely and loudly, and she even tried to put out a cigarette about him. Friends gathered around the couple laughed and shouted out assurances that now Justin had finally found a wife. None of those present then suspected that the comic predictions would turn out to be prophetic.

The next day, Portman called the star, asked for forgiveness and invited him on a date. Thus began a real love story.

In marriage, the model and the aristocrat lived for ten years. They had three adorable children, but in 2010 the media got the news that one of the most romantic couples of our time was getting divorced.

Justin wasn't ready to talk to reporters. According to him, life with Natalia was a real fairy tale, he is glad that they did not advertise their relationship and are not going to do this in the future. He said that he did not believe that Natalya had found another.

Vodianova also remained silent, but the gossips suggested that their romance could not stand the test of finances. During her marriage to an aristocrat, Natalia entered the list of the wealthiest people in London, but Portman remained an artist and never made any career.

Arno

They officially divorced in mid-2011. In the same year, Vodianova began to appear with a new lover - French businessman Antoine Arnault, whom she met four years ago while signing another contract. Arno owns a group of companies that includes several famous fashion houses.

Relatives of Vodianova say that she is a deeply decent person and could hardly have an affair before her divorce from her official husband. In addition, the model showed her lover only when too many stories about her personal life appeared in the media.

Signing with Arno Vodianova is in no hurry. But in 2014, the couple had their first joint child, Maxim, and two years later, another boy, Roman, was born. For Natalia, this was already the fifth child.

After each birth, she very quickly returned to shape and hurried to the podium, until in 2009 she made a statement that she now wants to devote herself to family and charity. However, the in-demand model with unique data continued to receive invitations and, in the end, still returned to work.

True, now she very rarely goes to the podium, preferring to spend most of her time with her family.

Alexandra Petrukhina

Many girls aspire to the modeling business. This area attracts with great opportunities. What is the story of Natalia Vodianova, who is called the "Russian Cinderella" worth. A girl from Nizhny Novgorod, who wore clothes of her friends and traded fruits in the market, achieved considerable success in the field of modeling, became the wife of an English lord and entered the top three most sought-after top models in the world.

Most successful models went through a difficult childhood, problems with parents, lack of money. This is how Kate Moss, Gisele Budchen, Elle MacPherson and Natalia Vodianova lived.

According to psychologists, it is easier for such people to break through in life, so they are used to overcoming difficulties from childhood. But in the modeling business there is little hard work, you also need luck.

Photo: Georges Seguin /commons.wikimedia.org/CC BY-SA 3.0

Cinderella story

Natasha did not know her father, until the age of six she lived with her mother and stepfather in her grandmother's house. In a four-room apartment, she had her own room and many toys. When she was 7 years old, she had a sister, Ksyusha, in whom doctors discovered an incurable disease - cerebral palsy.

Natalya's stepfather could not stand the screams of a sick child and left the family, and her grandmother offered to change the apartment. Natalya with her mother and sick sister ended up in one-room Khrushchev. To feed the family, the girls' mother worked three shifts, and Natasha looked after her sick sister.

When Natasha grew up, she started selling fruit in the market to help her mother. Often, this required skipping school.

At the age of 16, Vodianova came to the casting at the Nizhny Novgorod Fashion Academy. There, by order of a French modeling agency, they were looking for girls with an interesting appearance in the Russian outback. The classic requirements of the fashion industry are long hair, wide-set eyes, plump lips and a neat nose. The most famous models came to view. But out of thirty girls, only Natalia attracted the attention of photographers. The day after the casting, she received a call and was invited to Moscow.

On December 1, 1999, Vodianova flew to Paris. The girl was settled in a hostel for visiting models and signed a contract for $ 100 a month. Then this money was enough for a couple of dinners in a Parisian cafe.

Natalia got up at 7 in the morning and ran around the castings. I was looking for where free buffets would be held to eat. Vodianova rode the subway, dressed in second-hand clothes, and sent money to Russia every month.

In the summer of 2000, Natalia Vodianova was on the cover of the German magazine Elle. This moment became a turning point in her career. Serious offers rained down on the girl. Vodianova was now expected as a top model at the largest shows in New York, Milan and Paris.