Adriana Lima, Model

To finish first in Ford’s Supermodel of Brazil competition at the age of fifteen, as Adriana Lima did, was pretty good, we think, especially as she’d had no previous interest in modelling, and only entered to keep a friend company. But then to come second in Ford’s Supermodel of the World the following year – well, that was amazing!

Her move to New York led to shoots for international editions of Vogue and Marie Claire, and runway work for Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Vera Wang and others. She has also worked with fashion brands Versace, Armani, Loius Vutton, BCBG and bebe. The list of brand endorsements and ads is too long for us to mention here, but the message is that she’s always in demand.

Adriana was spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics from 2003 to 2009, and featured in their first calendar. In February 2008, Esquire marked its 75th anniversary by using her to re-create the classic 1966 Angie Dickinson cover. She has also graced the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Arena, and more. She fronted GQ’s April 2006 issue, which became its biggest seller of the year, and one of its largest ever.

A devout Catholic, she told GQ that for her, “sex is for after marriage”, prompting them to pronounce her The World’s Most Voluptuous Virgin. As the face of Italy’s cell phone carrier, Telecom Italia Mobile, she was nicknamed the Catherine Zeta-Jones of Italy.

Lima has been well known as a Victoria Secret model since 2000. She appeared in the Pirelli calendar for 2005, and again in 2013, when she became the first pregnant woman to feature in it. She has also done some acting, including a cameo in the TV series Ugly Betty.

Adriana Lima was photographed by artist Richard Phillips on Brazil’s Copacabana sidewalk for Visionaire no. 62 in mid-2012, and is the subject of a painting by Phillips, who describes her as having “a generosity of spirit… the lights go out, and you realise you’re working with this absolutely extraordinary person”.

The thirty-two-year-old keeps fit by jumping ropes, and shadow boxing, but also finds time to paint watercolours. But she admits: “Modelling is a tough job, your co-workers are your rivals, it really puts a damper on your persepective of other girls”.

Adrian Lima married Serbian NBA player Marko Jarić on Valentine’s Day 2009. Later that year, it was reported that she had applied for Serbian citizenship. They have two children, Valentina and Sienna. Will they take after their mother, we wonder?