Carla Bruni

Carla Bruni Tedeschi was born the 23rd of December 1967, in Turin, Italy. The heiress of a tire manufacturing fortune from her native city, Carla probably didn't even need to pursue the lucrative modeling career she presently has, considering the fortune that awaited her. Nonetheless, the multitude of fashion shows and modeling shoots she has appeared in has led to her inclusion in BusinessAge's list of the 20 highest-paid models in 1998. But like most models that have made it huge in the modeling industry, Carla didn't originally aspire to become a model. After relocating to Paris at age 5, Carla moved to Switzerland to study at a boarding school. She finally returned to Paris, where her brother Virginio's girlfriend encouraged her to pursue a modeling career. Pretty much convinced, Carla dropped her Arts and Architecture classes at the University of Paris at the age of 19, to be a full-time model. Signed with City Models in Paris, Carla has since become one of the fashion industry's most famous faces (not to mention bodies). Her whirlwind climb to the top started out when Paul Marciano, the President and Creative Director of GUESS? Inc., saw a picture of her face in a stack of pictures of aspiring models. The same man who later discovered Shana Zadrick and Josie Maran knew Carla had what it takes to become a star. By the 1990s, Bruni was among the 20 highest-paid fashion models, earning $7.5 million a year. While modeling, Bruni dated Eric Clapton, then Mick Jagger. On 11 April 2008, a 1993 nude photograph of Bruni sold at auction for US$91,000 (£46,098) — more than 60 times the expected price.