Petra Nemcova Biography

Born and raised in Karvina, in the Czech Republic, Petra Nemcova has taken the modeling world by storm. Ever since a modeling scout discovered her on the streets of her native country, she seems to be plastered in every magazine layout and advertisement.

petra nemcova in sports illustrated
Petra Nemcova modelled "swimsuits" for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in 2002, which was her second appearance in the magazine that launched several modeling contracts. In addition to her work for SI, the Next Agency model graced the pages of Elle, Harper's Bazaar and the French model Madame Figaro, and was a model for companies like Max Factor, La Perla and Cartier.

Her first American TV appearance was on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, where the smitten host (who announced his love for her and British singer Dido) predicted that she would make the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in 2003 -- and he was right.

petra nemcova in tsunami

In December 2004, Petra and her boyfriend Simon Atlee (a British fashion photographer) were caught in the devastating Asian tsunami disaster. Their hut on the Thai beach resort of Khao Lak was swept away by the tsunami, leaving Petra holding on to a tree for eight hours while the water washed by. She was rescued and taken to a hospital to treat a broken pelvis and several internal injuries. Unfortunately, Simon Atlee died.

Petra considered herself "lucky to be alive," and she gave back to those who were not as lucky by posing from her hospital bed for US Weekly as a fundraising effort to donate $200,000 to tsunami relief efforts. She also started the Happy Hearts Fund, as well as wrote a book Love Always, Petra which was published in December 2005.

petra nemcova travels to haiti

2007 was a year of humanitarianism for Petra Nemcova. Not only was she a presenter at the American leg of Live Earth in July, but she also visited Haiti in November with Wyclef Jean as part of a charity-sponsored event. She even became a vegan!