Now widely considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, this Czech beauty once had aspirations of becoming a school teacher. The five-foot eleven-inches model says she watches her diet very closely, but admits that bread in her one weakness. She is fluent in multiple languages, including Russian, French, Italian, English, and Czech, leaving no doubt that Daniela possesses both beauty and intelligence. After being noticed while attending a theater, her life and career took an incredible turn, skyrocketing the tall and lean beauty to modeling superstardom.

Daniela Pestova was born on October 14, 1970, in Teplice, Czechoslovakia. Coming from an affluent family, Pestova attended university and studied languages before being discovered at a theater. After winning a modeling contest at the age of nineteen, she was signed by Madison Modeling Agency, and soon moved to Paris to pursue her modeling career.

Daniela’s first major modeling gig was appearing in Guess? ads, alongside supermodel Claudia Schiffer. Only three short years after being discovered, Daniela moved again. This time she relocated to New York, a brave move considering she didn’t speak any English at the time. Her incredible beauty was enough to overcome any language barriers, however. Marie Claire, Glamour, Elle, and Cosmopolitan all featured Pestova on their covers, making her one of the most recognizable faces of fashion.

By 1994, Daniela had mastered the English language, and was signed by the leading cosmetics company L’Oreal. Over the years, Daniela has also explored her more risqué side, modeling sexy lingerie for Victoria’s Secret. Fellow models at the time included Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour, and Yasmeen Ghauri. Hugh Hefner’s iconic men’s magazine Playboy featured Pestova in the January issue of 1999. She has also been featured in the coveted cover spot of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition several times, including the issue released in 2006. Her other recent work includes a pictorial in Sports Illustrated, and an ad campaign for Revlon. Daniela currently has her own swimsuit calendar for fans that just can’t get enough of the model.

Before meeting her current partner, Daniela was married to Tomasso Buti, the former CEO of the ill-fated restaurant Fashion Café. Their marriage lasted only three years, ending in 1998. In 1996, Daniela gave birth to her son Yannick Fausto. Currently, Daniela is involved with the Slovak singer Pavol Habera. Their daughter, Ella, was born in 2002. The happy mother hopes to have more children in the future, saying she wants a house full of them.

YUDDY