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Karen Victoria Silvstedt (born in September 19, 1974, Skellefteå, Sweden) is a Swedish supermodel and former professional skier. This Swedish beauty can do just about anything you would expect a woman to be able to do. Nearly six feet tall, with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes, Victoria’s supermodel status and physical beauty is celebrated all over the world. She was the 2002 Maxim Woman of the Year, MISS SWEDEN, Playmate of the Year, former Guess? Model, and has appeared on the cover of hundreds of magazines around the world. Silvstedt recently starred in Artisan Entertainment’s star-studded comedy, BOAT TRIP, opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr., Roger Moore and Vivica Fox. BOAT TRIP chronicles the tales of two bachelors who sign up for an ocean cruise in the hope of meeting lots of beautiful women, only to realize it’s exclusively full of gay men. Silvstedt also starred in the hilarious teenage comedy OUT COLD, and has expanded her talents to television, where she has hosted numerous TV specials around the world. Silvstedt was a member of the Swedish National Ski Team, ranking as high as fourth among her Olympic teammates in the Super-Giant Slalom. Silvstedt claimed that at the age of 16 she competed in a "Best Fake Orgasm" contest at a local bar. The contestants were Silvstedt and 10 men. She won a brand-new TV. When she came home, she told her mother she won it at a game of bingo. Victoria grew up in a close-knit family of five in a small village in Northern Sweden complete with the “midnight sun” (it was essentially dark 24 hours a day for three months each year). She was raised with, and maintains, her families’ sensibilities to appreciate discipline, hard work and community. A gifted athlete, Victoria became a world-class member of the Swedish National Ski Team, ranking as high as fourth among her future Olympian teammates in the Super-Giant Slalom. A devastating shoulder injury prematurely ended Victoria’s Olympic dreams at the age of 16. But that was just the beginning of her career. Although at the time she was a complete teenage tomboy who had never even worn a pair of high heel shoes, Victoria’s mother and sister secretly entered her into the 1993 Miss Sweden Beauty Pageant. Silvstedt was the first runner-up in Miss Sweden losing to Johanna Lind, and went on to represent Sweden in the Miss World contest in South Africa, reaching the final eight contestants. She was then signed by a Parisian modeling agent and began a career in high fashion, working for various companies including Chanel, Christian Dior, Loris Azzaro, Givenchy, Valentino, and Giorgio Armani. Never backing down from a challenge, Victoria strapped on heels for the first time in her life and walked tentatively across the pageant stage. Victoria’s hard work and discipline helped prepare her for most things in life, but needless to say, she was surprised and overjoyed when she was declared the winner. The downhill skiing MISS SWEDEN 1993 was on her way to the Miss World Pageant in South Africa! After the stunning beauty became a Finalist at the 1993 Miss World Pageant, Victoria was discovered by a Parisian modeling agent and began a career in high fashion working for highly selective fashion giants such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Loris Azzaro, Givenchy, Valentino and Giorgio Armani. In 1993, Silvstedt appeared in "Girls of Northern Europe" (Bishiõjo-kikõ), in which she was photographed in full frontal nudity three years before appearing in Playboy in 1996. After being approached by Hugh Hefner, she appeared as a centerfold in the December 1996 issue of Playboy and was subsequently named Playmate of the Year in 1997. As a European, not being aware of the wider distribution and publicity effect of Playboy, she suddenly broke into the North American market. She has been featured in countless magazines, including GQ, Maxim, FHM, Gear and Nuts, where in 2005 she came second to actress Jennifer Ellison in a competition to find the Sexiest Blonde in the World. It was in the fall of 1996 when Victoria’s career path took another unexpected turn. Hugh Hefner offered Victoria an opportunity to do a “quick photo shoot” for Playboy. Since Playboy Magazine is not distributed in Sweden and the European equivalents have far less visibility than in the US, Victoria had no idea what she was about to do. The “quick photo shoot” and “right back to Paris” of late October turned into a December 1996 Playmate of the Month and 1997 Playmate of the Year distinction in 4 short months. Like many glamour models and Playmates before her, she is trying to branch out into acting and business. Silvstedt claims her favorite hobby is singing, and in 2001 she recorded an album called "Girl On the Run", published by EMI, which went gold in Sweden with the hit singles, "Hello, Hey" and "Rocksteady Love". A free-spirited European, Victoria herself is often amazed at the more conservative-minded people’s reactions to a simple set of photos taken six years ago. Never to back down from a challenge, Victoria has worked extremely hard over the last years to “re-invent” herself and burnish the typical playmate image. As with everything that she does, Victoria persevered. Within a year, Victoria not only dropped the playmate stigma, but elevated herself as a world-class, high-fashion model by landing one of the most sought-after modeling contracts in the world – the GUESS? Print Ad and Spokesmodel campaign for 1998. Silvstedt was already well recognised in the UK when she took on a new career hosting The Late Show on Virgin Radio, and as a guest host on the TV show Eurotrash. She has appeared on the American TV shows Melrose Place and MTV’s The Real World, and has worked on Italian TV hosting several shows. She currently co-hosts La Roue de la Fortune, the French version of Wheel of Fortune on TF1, alongside Christophe Dechavanne, as well as its Italian counterpart, La Ruota della Fortuna, making her the only Wheel of Fortune hostess to host two international versions at the same time. She made guest appearances in the Hollywood motion pictures: Boat Trip, The Independent, BASEketball, and Out Cold where she played up to her Swedish-Blonde "Inga" character. Silvstedt is now acting in lead roles in European films mainly based in Italy, and taking to the stage in North America. Silvstedt became a spokesmodel for Guess? Jeans, following in the footsteps of former Guess models, Eva Herzigova, Anna Nicole Smith, and Shana Zadrick. In February 2006 she launched her own lingerie range during London Fashion Week. As of November 2007 she has been in Italy promoting her new film, Matrimonio alle Bahamas, an Italian comedy starring Massimo Boldi. Victoria still remains a highly visible part of the modeling scene. She is featured on covers and countless celebrity feature interviews/layouts for mainstream magazines such as GQ, MAXIM, FHM, and GEAR both in the United States and in numerous European countries. Victoria’s professionalism, beauty and class have also enabled her to successfully represent a number of major brands as a product spokesperson including Nike, Renault, Coors, Radisson, Killian’s, and Blockbuster. Silvstedt speaks fluent Swedish, French, English and a little Italian. She dubbed three films in Italian. Silvstedt married WCBS-TV sports telecaster Chris Wragge in June 2000 at Tuxedo Park Country Club in New York. In June 2006, Victoria and Chris threatened legal action against Sky News for slander, after pictures of her in Sardinia with a man other than her husband went onto the Internet. Sky News had to remove the page. Silvstedt and Wragge later separated and are divorcing. |
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