Petra Nemcova

Petra Nemcova

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Birth name: Petra NěmcováDate of birth : 24 June 1979
Place of birth: Karviná, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic)
Nickname: Czech Chick
Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)

Famous Quote: “There are lots of things which I would love to tell him, but in some way, I also feel that I lost the person closest to me. And I got a second chance to live. So in a way I feel that I live for both of us and I will do my best. I love to dance. I can dance for, like, four or five hours nonstop without even drinking water. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. Learn from the past, look to the future, but live in the present.”

Contact Address and Autograph: Addresses and fan mail information

Petra Nemcova
Next Management, Llc.
8447 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211, USA 

Biography:  Petra Nemcova, born June 24, 1979 in Karviná, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a fashion model and; founder and president of Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her then-fiancé, Simon Atlee, was killed in the tsunami. Petra Nemcova was the breakout star of the 2002 Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, which led to her cover appearance for the 2003 edition. Her modeling career has included appearances in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Madame Figaro, and she has modeled for our beloved Victoria’s Secret as well. While Petra’s devastating looks brought this Czech Chick to the attention of most guys, she also had a run-in with a tsunami in 2004 that heightened her international fame.

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 won the opportunity to model “swimsuits” for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue in 2002, which was her second appearance in the magazine that has launched several modeling careers. In addition to her work for SI, the Next agency model has graced the pages of Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and the French model Madame Figaro, and is 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.

Her father was a mason and her mother, a teacher. She became a model after being spotted at the age of 16 during a national talent search. She was featured on the cover of the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and has also modeled for Victoria’s Secret, and for many other companies in the women’s clothing market. In addition to working with world class photographers on her Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object/subject of Joanne Gair’s body painting work. On June 3, 2004, she was one of the telecast judges during the 53rd annual Miss Universe competition in Quito, Ecuador.

During the Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004, Petra was at the Khao Lak resort in Thailand with her main photographer and fiancé, Simon Atlee when the tsunami struck where they were staying. Initially, Atlee was presumed missing, but his body was found and identified on March 3, 2005, on the shores of Sumatra (near the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the Tsunami).

Atlee drowned, and Němcová suffered a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries, but she managed to hold onto the top of a palm tree, reportedly for eight hours, until she was rescued by Thai civilians and airlifted to an inland hospital nearby. Petra spent three weeks in a Thai hospital, and then flew home to the Czech Republic, where she spent an additional three weeks in the hospital. Atlee’s body was not found until over two months after the tsunami. Petra’s first interview after her near-death experience was with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Primetime Live, on March 9, 2005. She has also spoken of her experiences on the “Larry King Live” program on CNN.

In 2005, Nemcova started The Happy Hearts Fund, a charitable campaign after her survival and recovery from the Tsunami of 2004. It aims to advocate and provide for disadvantaged youngsters who have had to endure hardship and who are not receiving the essential and sustainable help they need for healthy childhood development. It actively partners with charities, donors and foundations committed to providing immediate, tangible assistance for children.

Glamour magazine awarded Němcová a “Survivor Award” in 2005 for the way she picked up her life following her tsunami ordeal; her comeback being complete with her appearance in the 2006 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also appeared in the 2007 British FHM calendar as Miss May. She is now the host of TLC’s A Model Life.

She wrote Love Always, Petra published December 2005, which tells of her early life under Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, her entrance into the field of fashion and modeling, and her breakthrough into Sports Illustrated, which was her springboard to becoming a supermodel. She also tells of her life with Simon Atlee and how they fell in love and became engaged to marry.

Nemcova has also moved on romantically, dating British singer James Blunt in 2006. They have reportedly broken up since early July in 2007. On July 7, 2007 she was a presenter at the American leg of Live Earth. She is currently working with HP computers to produce a multi-million dollar TV and web campaign. In July of 2007 Nemcova has become a vegan after learning about the planet’s rapidly depleting fish stocks. The Czech Republic born model gave up meat and dairy in February.

On November 12, 2007 Nemcova visited Haiti alongside Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean as part of a charity-sponsored event. The inauguration of a computer lab and an eatery in the slums of Port-au-Prince were funded and sponsored by Jean’s Yéle Haïti foundation and Nemcova’s Happy Hearts Fund. Petra was sighted at a New Years Eve party on Kaua’i Dec 31 2007.

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