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Alessandra Corine Ambrósio, born
April 11, 1981, is a Brazilian model. Described by Tyra Banks as "the
future of the modeling world", Ambrosio is best known for her work with
Victoria's Secret and was chosen as the first spokesmodel for the
company's "PINK" line. Ambrosio is currently one of the Victoria's Secret
Angels and the former face of the UK company Next.
Aside from modeling work, Ambrosio represents as the National Ambassador
for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ambrosio was also selected by
AskMen.com as Number 2 out of the "Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008".
Ambrosio was born in Erechim, Brazil on April 11, 1981. Her parents, who
are of Italian and Polish descent, own a petrol station. Ambrósio was just
eight years old when she decided that she wanted to be a model, after
seeing a picture of top covergirl Karen Mulder in a magazine: "I wanted to
be like her", she recalls. She enrolled at a modelling class at the age of
12 and at the age of 14 she was one of 20 finalists for an elite modelling
competition in Brazil. Ambrosio was always insecure about her large ears
and at eleven had cosmetic surgery to get her ears pinned back, though two
years later she suffered complications. In 2006 she appeared on The Tyra
Banks Show, and said that the surgery was a bad experience and has
discouraged her from ever getting plastic surgery again.
When Ambrosio was 12 years old, she enrolled in modeling classes, then
began modeling for Dilson Stein at age 15. Winning Brazil's Elite Model
Look started her modeling career in earnest. Her first notable modeling
job was the cover of Brazilian Elle magazine. Elite passed along some of
her Polaroids to Guess which led her booking the Millennium GUESS?
campaign along with friend and fellow Brazilian Ana Beatriz Barros. She
has since worked with brands including Revlon, Christian Dior, Giorgio
Armani, Rolex, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci, Escada, Rocco Barocco, Calvin
Klein and Ralph Lauren, as well as the Pirelli Calendar. She has walked
the catwalks for designers such as Laura Biagiotti, Christian Lacroix,
Byblos, Fendi, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Nicole Miller, Ralph
Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood, and Oscar de la Renta. She has
appeared on over 50 international magazine covers, including Cosmopolitan,
Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Ocean Drive, Vogue and the only
model to appear on the cover of Glamour in the United States in 2006.
In 2004, Ambrosio launched her line of swimwear called Alessandra Ambrosio
by Sais, a division of Rosa Chá. It sold 10,000 units in only its first
month on the market.
Ambrosio's best-known collaboration is with American lingerie brand
Victoria's Secret. She appeared in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for
the first time in 2000. By 2004, she was selected as the first spokesmodel
for the Victoria's Secret "PINK" line and became a contracted "Angel." In
2005, she notably walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway wearing
lingerie made entirely out of candy. Ambrosio then garnered attention in
the 2008 edition of the Fashion Show, walking the runway only three months
after giving birth to her first child. She opened the show the following
year.
Ambrosio's Angel status has brought her to the public's attention, often
being cited by the popular media as one of the world's sexiest women. She
was chosen as one of People magazine's annual "100 Most Beautiful People
in the World," in May 2007, along with fellow Angels. Ambrosio is among
the world's top-earning models.
Ambrosio was the face for the UK company Next and starred in their first
television campaign in 12 years. She is also signed to Storm Model
Management in London.
Ambrosio recently appeared in a spread with Sasha Baron Cohen in Marie
Claire to promote Baron Cohen's 2009 film Brüno.
Ambrosio has made several television appearances, notably a cameo as
herself on HBO's Entourage along with Izabel Goulart; The Late Late Show
with Craig Kilborn; Late Night with Conan O’Brien; as guest judge on
Project Runway season 2: Team Lingerie and The Tyra Banks Show where she
was a guest twice. She appeared alongside TV personality, Regis Philbin in
a worldwide commercial for Hummer H2. In 2006, she had a cameo on the
box-office hit movie, Casino Royale appearing briefly as Tennis Girl #1.
Ambrosio guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother (episode: "The Yips") on
November 26, 2007 with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels Adriana Lima,
Selita Ebanks, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr, and Heidi Klum.
She is very conscious of her figure and works out with her Brazilian
trainer doing the Brazilian Butt Lift, which is a mix of samba, capoeira
and aerobics.
When Ambrosio first came to New York, Gisele Bündchen lent her apartment
for two weeks and Adriana Lima helped her translate English.
She described her typical week as jetsetting from one country to another
for photo shoots and in between she has some phone interviews. She still
visits her family in Brazil regularly and calls Erechim, Brazil her
favorite place in the world and having traveled the world has not yet
convinced her otherwise.
Ambrosio's best friend is fellow Brazilian model Ana Beatriz Barros.
On August 24, 2008, Ambrosio and her fiancé, California businessman Jamie
Mazur, had their first child, a daughter named Anja Louise Ambrosio Mazur,
in Florianopolis, Brazil. |
