Russian
model Natalia Vodianova has opened up on her childhood, admitting that when she
was young she was often bullied by her classmates in school. Natalia had a poor
upbringing and admits she had to sometimes skip school in order to help her
mother, while she also had a handicapped sister who she helped care for:
"The kids in my class didn't like me much anyway, so my [eccentric]
way of dressing didn't help! I grew up with a handicapped sister, with serious
autism. I would never invite anyone back home, I was studious, serious.
Sometimes I would miss school to work with my mum, selling vegetables on the
market."
She
may have made millions from her gorgeous looks but Natalia says she was an
"ugly ducking" and grew in to her features over time: "I
wasn't pretty, I was skinny, very tall. It's the old cliché of the ugly
duckling model, but it's true! My life wasn't easy. But deep down inside,
something was telling me it was going to happen for me, that everything would
work out."
Natalia
now spends a lot of her time focusing on charity work when she isn't modeling
and says her work with charity gives her life more meaning: "My life
is rich, diverse. I respect and admire people who dedicate their lives to the
fashion industry. But, personally, with my background, childhood and values, I
can't just be satisfied with a life solely devoted that that. I've always
seen this industry as an inspiring and powerful universe. But my heart is
taking me elsewhere."
