50 facts about model Karolina Kurkova best known as a former Victoria's Secret Angel

50 things about former Victoria's Secret Angel Karolina Kurkova.

1. Karolína Kurková also Karolina Kurkova, is a Czech model, best known as a former Victoria's Secret Angel, and actress.

2. Mario Testino praised the "proportions of her body and her face, as well as her energy level", which he said "ma[de] her a model who could fit almost into any moment".

3. Vogue editor Anna Wintour called her the "next supermodel".

4. Karolína Kurková is among the world's top-earning models, having earned an estimated $5 million in the year 2007.

5. Karolína Kurková placed 6th in the Forbes annual list of the highest-earning models

6. Karolína Kurková was born in Děčín, Czechoslovakia.

7. Her father is Josef Kurka, a Czech basketball player.

8. She has a Slovak mother.

9. While Kurková was young, she was made fun of for her height.

10. After a friend sent photos of Kurková to an agency in Prague, at age 15, she landed a runway appearance, as well as gigs for commercial and print advertising.

11. Karolína Kurková later traveled to Milan to gain more experience and signed a modeling contract with Miuccia Prada.

12. In September 1999, Kurková appeared in the American edition of fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue, and, after moving to New York City at the age of 17, graced the cover of the February 2001 edition.

13. Following her Vogue cover, Kurková became recognized at haute couture fashion shows.

14. Additionally, the lingerie brand Victoria's Secret chose her to be a part of 2000's fashion show webcast, though she was only 16 at the time.

15. Prominent fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent signed Kurková to contracts, while print campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, Chanel, Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Versace, H&M, and others helped expose her even more.

16. In the 2002 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, she wore the "Star of Victoria" Fantasy Bra, worth almost $10 million.

17. Other runway credits of hers include Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci, Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, Versace, and Vera Wang.

18. Karolína Kurková was named "Model of the Year" at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, in part for her work ethic, having worked 23 weeks straight

19. Photographed by Steven Meisel, she was presented on the September 2004 cover of American Vogue as one of the "Models of the Moment".

20. Karolína Kurková has appeared on over 25 Vogue magazine covers internationally, including the French, Italian, UK, German, Russian, Greek, and Korean editions, and has also appeared in international editions of Elle, Vanity Fair, and The Face.

21. Karolína Kurková has worked with noted fashion photographers like Steven Klein, Mario Sorrenti, and Mario Testino.

22. After being contracted as a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2005, she was featured in the 2006 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, showcasing the $6.5 million "Hearts On Fire" Fantasy Bra decked with almost 2,000 diamonds weighing 800 carats (160 g) with a centerpiece diamond brooch weighing 10 carats (2.0 g).

23. As an Angel, she received a star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" prior to the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

24. Karolína Kurková appeared on the February 2008 cover of Esquire, re-creating the classic 1966 Angie Dickinson cover for the magazine's 75th anniversary.

25. Karolína Kurková was chosen as part of People magazine's 100 most beautiful people in the world.

26. In December 2007, she was featured in print ads for Dell.

27. In the last Cía Marítima fashion show, Kurková's unexpectedly heavier physique brought criticism from the Brazilian press as having "too much back fat, love handles and cellulite".

28. Kurkova has a smooth indentation in place of a navel due to surgery she had as an infant, and photographs are often altered by the addition of an image of a belly button to hide this.

29. In November 2008, E! Entertainment Television voted her the world's sexiest woman, beating Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, and fellow Angels Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima.

30. Karolína Kurková modeled for Bottega Veneta spring 2011 campaign in a classic Hitchcock style.

31. Karolína Kurková made her film debut alongside Frankie Muniz, Harvey Keitel, and Amber Valletta in Howard Himelstein's 2007 coming-of-age dramedy, My Sexiest Year.

32. Karolína Kurková played Courtney A. Kreiger / Cover Girl in the live action 2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra film.

33. Karolína Kurková was a guest judge on the fifteenth season of America's Next Top Model and fourth season of Germany's Next Top Model.

34. Karolína Kurková appeared on the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards along with Dwight Yoakam in presenting the "Top Female Vocalist" award to Carrie Underwood.

35. In September 2010, Karolína guest-starred on NBC's Chuck season 4 episode, "Chuck Versus the Suitcase".

36. Karolína Kurková played Sofia Stepanova, an enemy spy posing as a supermodel.

37. Karolína Kurková appeared alongside German model Eva Padberg on the reality television show Das perfekte Model, a model casting-show similar to Germany's Next Top Model. The show aired in spring 2012 on German television broadcast VOX. The show was canceled due to low rating in summer 2012.

38. Karolína Kurková made a guest appearance on television series 30 Rock in Season 6, Episode 9 titled "Leap Day" in February 2012.

39. Karolína Kurková appeared as herself in an episode of Person of Interest, in a subplot where the character of Detective Fusco (Kevin Chapman) protects Kurková from Armenian gangsters. The subplot, which is interspersed throughout the episode, takes up less than two minutes of screen time and is played for comic relief.

40. Karolína Kurková is also a supermodel coach on OXYGEN'S "The Face", alongside Naomi Campbell and Coco Rocha.

41. Karolína Kurková lives in New York City's TriBeCa district.

42. She enjoys courtside basketball games at Madison Square Garden.

43. On January 8, 2009, FoxNews.com reported that Kurková suffered from hypothyroidism, which led to her unusual heavier physique and caused Kurková to be panned by fashion critics, when she walked the runway for Cía Marítima and Victoria's Secret in June 2008 and November 2008, respectively.

44. In February 2012 at the Council of Fashion Designers of America forum on "A Well Balanced Life", Kurková spoke about her thyroid problems:

45. "I thought I was going crazy. I was having panic attacks every minute and I didn't know what was happening, because I've been a healthy person. I've exercised all my life. I've always eaten well and taken care of myself."

46. Karolína Kurková also said she developed symptoms of premature menopause and gained 30 pounds (14 kg).

47. Robert McConnell, a thyroid specialist, pointed out that Kurková's case includes a spate of symptoms which "totality doesn't fit into one, neat little package".

48. In July 2009, she announced she was expecting her first child with her fiancé, Archie Drury.

49. Karolína Kurková revealed that Drury had proposed to her while on holiday in Cape Town, South Africa.

50. They were married before the October 29, 2009 birth of their son, Tobin Jack Drury, weighing six pounds three ounces. On the 8th of July 2015 Kurkova announced that she and her husband were expecting a second baby.

Source: Wikipedia.org