Los Angeles: Russian model Natalia Vodianova felt left out by her peers at school. She claims her leggy physique and unusual dress sense made her an outcast.
Currently, Vodianova is one of the most recognisable faces in the industry, having starred in campaigns for the likes of Givenchy, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent and Etam since starting her career aged 17, but she insists her childhood was far from idyllic and she was rejected by her classmates for being so different.
"The kids in my class didn't like me much anyway, so my (eccentric) way of dressing didn't help! I grew up with a handicapped sister, with serious autism. I would never invite anyone back home, I was studious, serious. Sometimes I would miss school to work with my mum, selling vegetables on the market,” contactmusic.com quoted Vodianova as saying.
"I wasn't pretty, I was skinny, very tall. It's the old cliché of the ugly duckling model, but it's true! My life wasn't easy. But deep down inside, something was telling me it was going to happen for me, that everything would work out,” she added.
