Adriana Lima is a brazilin beauty who has taken the modeling world by storm. A super model by stature, this diva is best known for her campaigns with Victoria's Secret and Maybelline. Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, she loves to read in her free time.
Born as Adriana Francesca Lima born June 12, 1981 in the northeastern coastal town of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, this lady is of African, Native South American and Swiss descent. Her parents are Nelson Torres and Maria da Graça Lima, a social worker. Her father walked out on them, when she was just 6 months old and therefore, never had any real relationship with him. She also has two half brothers.
Career in Modeling
Lima was discovered while shopping at a local mall at the age of 13. She participated after 2 years in Brazil's Ford Supermodel of the World Search where she placed first.. She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford Supermodel of the World contest and finished in second place. When she was only 19, she shifted base to New York City, and signed with Elite Model Management.
Her portfolio began to grow as her height with big names getting added to her kitty day by day including the international editions of Vogue and Marie Claire. She has walked the ramps for the elite group of designers like Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino. Lima followed it up soon by becoming a GUESS? girl appearing on GUESS?' Fall 2000 ad campaign and the book 'A second decade of Guess? Images’.
Lima continued her hold over the modeling circuit with working for many prestigious names and ad campaigns such as print work for Maybelline, bebe, Mossimo, BCBG and gracing the cover pages ofhigh fashion magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, Vogue, GQ, to name a few. In fact, Her April 2006 GQ cover became the highest-selling issue of the year. Her other notable works include the Pirelli Calendar 2005 and the face of Italy’s big cell phone carrier Telecom Italia Mobile.
Her biggest break came when she bagged the contract with Victoria's Secret and appeared in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1999. Her association with the brand continued for many years with her doing ramp shows and ad campaigns for them. Adriana’s crowning moments with Victoria’s Secret can be amounted to her being a show opener in 2003 at the fashion show and the very famous ad with legendary rock musician Bob Dylan in 2003 Victoria's Secret Angel in Venice commercial which received both praise and criticism. She also made an appearance in the Victoria's Secret's Super Bowl XLII ad and a contract ‘angel’ for them. Lima is also the spokesperson for the aforementioned brand and cosmetics line, Maybelline.
Adriana has tried her hands at acting too with working in a BMW short film, The Follow (2001) alongside actors Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Forest Whitaker directed by Hong Kong film director and internationally renowned auteur Wong Kar-Wai.
Lima has been romantically linked to other celebrities in the past, including rocker Lenny Kravitz, New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter, Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein, and Denny of Timbalada. She is currently dating Serbian basketball player Marko Jarić of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves.
The supermodel also came into the news upon her admittance of being a catholic bound by faith who will remain virgin till marriage. Lima is associated with "Caminhos da Luz" (Ways of Light), orphanage based in her hometown, Brazil and also is an animal rights activist.
The lady has also been chosen as one of People Magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007 and the fourth highest paid supermodel in the world.
