Irina Shayk
Football Super Star Cristiano Ronaldo’s Girlfriend Irina
Shayk in a Russian Supermodel. She is also a Glamour girl, hot model girl in
the world.
Irina Shayk (sometimes credited as Irina Sheik (Russian:
Ирина Шейк), born Irina Shaykhlislamova (Russian: Ирина Шайхлисламова) on
January 6, 1986 in Yemanzhelinsk, Russia) is a Russian model known for her 2007
through 2012 appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was the
cover model for the 2011 issue.
Early years
Shayk was born in Yemanzhelinsk, Russia, to ethnic Tatar
father and Russian mother. She says she inherited her unusual looks from her
father and she has said that people often think she is South American. “My
father was dark skinned, because he was Tatar, sometimes Tatars can look
Brazilian,” she says. “I get my light eyes from my mother.” Shayk’s mother
Natalia was a pianist who was the music teacher in a kindergarten and her
father was a coal miner. She has one sibling, an older sister named Tatiana.
Shayk started playing piano at age six. At age nine she enrolled in a music
school and studied there for seven years, both playing the piano and singing in
the choir since her mother wanted her to study music. Her father died of
complications of pneumonia when she was 14, leaving her family with little
money and forcing her mother to work two jobs to provide for the family.
After high school, Shayk studied marketing but was bored
by it and entered a local beauty school with her older sister. While there, she
was noticed by a person from a local modeling agency who was struck by her
unusual beauty. She was urged to participate in the "Miss Chelyabinsk
2004" beauty contest and she won.
Career
Shayk started her career relatively late for a model, at
the age of 19, when she began modeling in Paris. In 2007 she replaced Ana
Beatriz Barros as the face of Intimissimi and in the same year debuted in the
annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Since that time, she has appeared in
every annual edition, attending photoshoots in such places as St. Petersburg,
Naples, Grenada and Chile.
After being the image of Intimissimi for three years,
Shayk was made the official ambassador for the brand in 2010. Her other
modeling contracts include Beach Bunny (2009), and Guess spring/summer 2009.
Other work include the Victoria's Secret catalog, Lacoste, Cesare Paciotti and
Morellato. Her magazine covers include Annabelle, Bolero, Woman, Jalouse, and
Paris Capital.
She signed with modeling agency IMG on May 2009.
She made a change from swimwear to high fashion with a
spread in Spain's Harper’s Bazaar and landed the cover of Elle Spain for their
November 2010 issue. Glamour Spain awarded her "Best International Model
of 2010".(Spanish: Mejor Modelo Internacional). At the end of the year she
was pictured nude in the GQ Spain December issue; however, she claimed that she
had not stripped for the photoshoot, and that the magazine had digitally
altered the images to remove her lingerie.
On the February 14, 2011 episode of the Late Show with
David Letterman, it was revealed via billboard that Shayk was the covermodel
for the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. This is the fifth time she has
been featured in the magazine, but the first time she has been on the cover.
She is the first Russian to appear on the cover. Shayk became the face of swim
label Luli Fama’s 2011 advertising campaign and look book. Appears in the John
John Denim ad campaign. In 2011 she covered magazines such as Tatler Russia,
Cosmopolitan Spain, GQ Mexico Glamour Spain, Amica Italy and appeared on the
covered of Elle Spain the special edition for Christmas. She also worked for
many brands like Rampage, replacing Bar Refaeli, Replay and XTI. She currently
ranks 13th in the "Top 20 Sexiest Models" list on Models.com.
In 2011 she was voted "Sexiest Woman In The
World" in the Hungarian magazine Periodika.
In 2012 she covered Esquire UK, Harper's Bazaar Arabia
and Ukraine, Marie Claire Ukraine,Spain and Russia, GQ Germany, Glamour Russia
and appeared on 14 Cosmopolitan spring covers worldwide. She also covered S
Moda Spain and The Sunday Time Style UK. She also did an editorial for Vanity
fair Italy The same year, she has appeared in campaigns for Morellato, Agua
Bendita and Blanco. Irina is also the new face of the brand La Clover and of
Avon super drama mascara. In September 2012 she covered L'express Styles
magazine, and worked with Mariano Vivanco. In november, Irina covered Twelv
Magazine, Second Issue with supermodel Anne V In the same month she appeared in an editorial
for Vogue Spain December issue working with Mario Testino.
Personal life
Shayk has a pet dog named Caesare, after Julius Caesar, a
Lab which, she claims, was fathered by one of the dogs who played the title role
in the film Marley & Me.
Since May/Spring of 2010, she has been dating footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo. Shayk and Ronaldo allegedly met through their Armani
Exchange campaigns.
