They come from a small middle-European country but they made it internationally. Here are the 10 most famous Czech models.
If you’re interested in the world of celebrities, you might like our articles 16 celebrities who are Czech or of Czech origin, 16 more celebrities who are Czech or of Czech origin or Celebrities Speaking Czech. In this article, we’ll take a look at the 10 most famous Czech models. These Czech models made it in the fashion world and you’ve probably seen their faces at some point, no matter where you live.
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Karolína Kurková
Also known as Karolina Kurkova, this Victoria’s Secret angel was born in 1984 in Děčín, Czechoslovakia. Her modelling career started at the age of 15 and she moved to New York only two years later. She tried her luck in acting but definitely settled in modelling. This Czech model was praised by Anna Wintour, appeared in Vogue and did campaigns for numerous brands, However, she’s probably most famous for being a Victoria’s Secret angel and you could have seen her on the runway alongside Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum or Adriana Lima.
She holds both Czech and US citizenship, is married to Archie Drury and they have three children.
Eva Herzigová
If you know the Wonderbra, you know Eva Herzigová.
She was born in 1973 in Litvínov and at first it looked liked Eva might become famous for her sports talent. Her modelling career started in Paris, when she was only 16. The media often called her the “Marilyn Monroe of the east” and besides Wonderbra, she worked for brands like Versace, Hugo Boss or Calvin Klein. She changed her looks radically for the latter.
She was married to Tico Torres, drummer of Bon Jovi, she’s currently engaged to the Italian businessman Gregorio Marsiaj with whom she has three sons.
Tereza Maxová
When it comes to internationally known Czech models, Tereza Maxová is probably the one whose fame is the most stable in her home country. Since she appeared in the 1996 video clip of the Czech music band Lucie, her star has been only rising. She was born in 1971 in Pardubice and at first focused on sports. She was actually accepted to the Faculty of Law of the Charles University but then the Velvet Revolution happened and young Tereza grabbed her opportunity with a modelling agency and went to Paris.
Tereza Maxová is also famous in the charity world. She is hugely active in the charity supporting children in children’s homes (she gets involved personally a lot) and she’s had her own charity since 1997.
She was married to the Danish tennis player Frederik Fetterlein with whom she has one son. She’s married to the Turkish businessman Burak Oymen with whom she has two more children. They reside in the Czech Republic and Turkey.
Alena Šeredová
Besides the Czech Republic, Alena Šeredová (Alena Seredova) made her mark in Italy. This southern-looking beauty was born in 1978 in Prague and she became famous after winning the 1998 Miss Czech Republic runner-up title. By 2002, she was already established in an Italian TV channel. Although she had her own TV, modelling and even fashion-designing career, she’s probably best known as the ex-wife of the Italian goalkeeper Gigi Buffon with whom she has two sons.
She’s married to the Fiat heir Alessandro Nasi, they have one daughter.
Helena Houdová
Helena Houdová was born in 1979 in Pilsen (Plzeň) and she became famous in her home country by winning the 1999 Miss Czech Republic title. Although she was modelling actively at one time, she made it always very clear that she wants to focus on charity, animal protection and exploring alternative lifestyle.
She married and later divorced Omar Amanat with whom she has three children. She lives a very alternative lifestyle in several locations (including Bali), homeschools her children and works as a sexual coach and influencer. She is surrounded by controversy and criticized for exploiting the sick as she tries to sell occult healing objects and claims, for example, that she was able to “cry out a tumor”.
Hana Soukupová
This Czech supermodel was born in 1985 in Karlovy Vary and in 2001 she won the prestigious title Model of the 3rd Millenium. She was one of the most in demand models in the world in 2008. She is famous also for her Mattoni water commercial.
She appeared in Vogue and Vanity Fair and worked for brands such as Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Versace or Gucci.
In 2006, she married Drew Aaron and adopted his surname (Hana Aaron Soukupová). They have three children.
Taťána Kuchařová
If you’re a fan of the Miss World pageant, you must know Taťána Kuchařová. She was born in 1987 in Trnava, Slovakia (she’s Czech though) and grew up in Opočno.
She won the 2006 Miss Czech Republic title and also the Miss World title. She’s had her own charity since 2008, it focuses on help to the elderly and promoting intergenerational relationships. She presented her charity work in 2015 to the ONU in New York and Geneva.
She was married to the Czech actor Ondřej Brzobohatý, their relationship was always in the spotlight as was their divorce and the aftermath that is currently going on.
Pavlína Pořízková
Pavlína Pořízková, also known as Paulina Porizkova, was born in 1965 in Prostějov and was the youngest model on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Her parents emigrated to Sweden in 1968 in response to the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia, leaving little Pavlína behind. She was able to join them in 1975 but after their divorced, she lived in poverty. Her friend sent her shots to a modelling agency in 1980 and three years later Pavlína travelled to the USA where she also appeared in Playboy and Harper’s Bazaar.
You could have seen her on Tara Banks’ show America’s Next Top Model.
She was married to rock singer Ric Ocasek (also of Czech heritage) with whom she has two sons.
Pavlína Pořízková is known for her straight-forward attitude which she demonstrated publicly very early on, you can see what I mean in this episode of Late Night with David Letterman:
Petra Němcová
Petra Němcová was born in 1979 in Karviná. She won the Elite Model Look competition at the age of 16 and left to Milan. She worked for Victoria’s Secret, was a member of the jury of 2004 Miss Universe and a mentor of the TV competition A Model Life.
Her relationships are just as famous as her. She is the 2004 Thailand tsunami survivor (she spent 8 hours in a palm tree with broken pelvis) in which she lost her boyfriend, British photographer Simon Atlee. She dated British singer James Blunt and Haitian prime minister Laurent Lamothe. She was engaged to British actor Jamie Belman.
She’s married to Benjamin Larretche and they have one son.
Daniela Peštová
Daniela Peštová was born in 1970 in Teplice. Although she intended to get university education, after winning a modelling competition, she moved to Paris and later to New York. She appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and others, she also worked for Sports Illustrated and L’Oréal and she was one of Victoria’s Secret angels.
She was married to Tomasso Buti with whom she has one son. Her long time partner is the Slovak singer Pavol Habera, they have two children.
If you enjoyed this article about Czech models, you might also like some other articles fro the category General and Trivia.
