As seen in The Home is where the Heart is Issue
N is for Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, the place where Natalia Vodianova was born and raised. A true Cinderella story, Natalia had a poor upbringing and helped her mother sell fruit as her father left when she was a toddler. Her real name is Наталья Водянова, and she was born February 28 in 1982 which makes her the ripe age of 28. “My husband and I are both Pisces; water is very special.” – Since marrying her husband, Natalia has built a separate spa across the river from their family home, complete with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. A is for academy. Natalia enrolled in a modeling academy, where she learned ladylike behavior and etiquette. It was her grandmother who provided a glimpse of another world, taking her to the ballet and opera. The modelling academy told her she would need to learnEnglish to succeed, so she mastered the language in three months. T is for ‘The Russian Princess’. Natalia earned the title after her successful foray into the modelling world. She has also been called ‘The Supernova’, after she first stormed the catwalks eight years ago, following her headlining stint at YvesSaint Laurent, which then led to the Gucci perfume campaign and 40 shows the following season.A is for acting. Natalia made a brief appearance in Roman Coppola’s film CQ with Billy Zane and Gérard Depardieu and will be playing the terrifying Medusa in Clash of the Titans, the new mega budget Hollywood blockbuster opposite Liam Neeson, Gemma Arterton and Sam Worthington where she will transform into the snake haired monster. Be careful not to look into her eyes though – her beauty will turn you to stone! L is for lingerie. Besides her hugely successful modeling career, Natalia also designs lingerie collections for Etam (Natalia pour Etam). I is for i-D. Natalia first appeared on the cover of i-Din May 2002, photographed by the legendary Steven Klein. Forbes rated her as the seventh highest earning model in the world and she has appeared in campaigns for Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, David Yurman, Louis Vuitton, l’Oreal, Diane von Furstenburg, Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Calvin Klein among others! Pregnant with her son Viktor, Natalia shot the cover of American Vogue, which was an exceptional event as during that year only actresses were seen on the covers of that prestigious magazine.She was recently the face of Chanel make-up and Versace A is for ambassador. Natalia is the face of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, hosted the 2009 Eurovision song contest, is the ambassadress of L’Oréal Paris and Calvin Klein and founded the Naked Heart Foundation in 2006 which constructs and runs playgrounds for disadvantaged children in Russia. Natalia has three children with husband Justin Portman, Lucas, Neva and Victor and lives in the UK. On February 14th 2008 she organised a charity auction with Christies in Moscow where over 6 million dollars were collected.
Photography Paolo Roversi
Styling Cathy Kasterine
