World-renowned supermodel Natalia Vodianova (44), originally from Russia, surprised the world by announcing she is pregnant with her sixth child at the age of 44.
On the 26th (local time), foreign outlets including the Daily Mail reported that Vodianova recently revealed her full-term "D-line" on the summer cover of Vogue France. Wearing a mini dress and confidently exposing her belly, her enduring top-model aura immediately captivates attention.
Claire Thomson Johnville, editorial content director at Vogue France, said, "When Natalia told me she was pregnant earlier this year, I had a strong feeling she would become an amazing mother of many children," and added, "I immediately felt she had to be our summer cover star," sharing the behind-the-scenes story.
Vodianova's husband is Antoine Arnault (48), CEO of the French luxury brand Christian Dior. He is also the eldest son of Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), the world's largest fashion empire that oversees as many as 75 global luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany and Givenchy.
According to U.S. business magazine Forbes, the assets of her father-in-law, Bernard Arnault, are estimated at about $190 billion (about 260 trillion won), making them one of the wealthiest families in the world. That is why the world is focused on Vodianova's pregnancy news, as she has become the world's top "chaebol matriarch."
Vodianova's life is, indeed, the epitome of a record-setting "Cinderella narrative."
Born in a desperately poor slum in Russia, she helped her mother sell fruit on the street as a child to support her family. She is known to have endured extreme hardship and stress, especially because she had a brother who suffered from autism and cerebral palsy.
But at 16 she was noticed by a model scout by chance, and her life changed 180 degrees. Traveling to Paris, she graced top magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, and acted as a muse for global luxury brands like Gucci, Guerlain and Stella McCartney, rising to the ranks of a top model who captivated the world.
Her love story is equally dramatic. Vodianova married Justin Portman (56), heir to a British real estate fortune, in 2001 and had three children (two sons and one daughter) but divorced in 2011.
Later that same year she met her current husband, Antoine Arnault, on a shoot and fell into a fateful love. The two had two sons in 2014 and 2016, became engaged in 2019, and held a lavish wedding at Paris city hall in 2020.
In a past interview, Vodianova expressed deep affection for her husband Antoine, saying, "Since our first date I have felt exhilarating and happy as if riding the greatest roller coaster," and Antoine also praised his wife's charm, saying, "When I first saw her I felt my jaw drop internally. She is naturally beautiful and possesses an indescribable, singular aura."
Already the mother of five children—three from her previous marriage and two sons with Antoine—Vodianova will earn the title "mother of six" at 44 with this pregnancy.
[Photo] Vogue France official SNS, ©Gettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited)
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