Often we hear celebrities whine about the hardships of being famous (yes, you, Megan Fox), so it’s nice when a celebrity sounds truly gracious about their life.
In this weekend’s copy of You from The Mail on Sunday, Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova talks about how she never takes anything for granted after a difficult childhood.
Vodianova grew up in Nizhny Novgorod, an impoverished area and was raised by a single mother, who also had to look after her sister with cerebal palsy. She describes her life back there as “ a tough but not a bleak life”.
Now, she has three children with ex-husband Justin Portman, is currently dating billionaire Antoine Arnault, designs lingerie, presents Eurovision, acts and is the face of Guerlain. So she hasn’t done too badly...
“My childhood gave me resilience — and there’s little that can surprise me in life,” she says. “I live a very different life now, with incredible privileges, but looking back I realise that growing up in Russia gave me tools that other people don’t necessarily have – such as the will to push that bit further, to make things happen, to succeed. I try to use these now to help other people.”
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Posted by Amy Power.