Petra Nemcova

Born and raised in Karvina, in the Czech Republic, Petra Nemcova has taken the modeling world by storm. Ever since a modeling scout discovered her on the streets of her native country, she seems to be plastered in every magazine layout and advertisement.

Petra won the opportunity to model "swimsuits" for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in 2002, which was her second appearance in the magazine that has launched several modeling careers.

get a glimpse of her

In addition to her work for SI, the Next agency model has graced the pages of Elle, Harper's Bazaar and the French model Madame Figaro, and is a model for companies like Max Factor, La Perla and Cartier.

Her first American TV appearance was on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, where the smitten host (who announced his love for her and British singer Dido) predicted that she would make the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in 2003 -- and he was right.

In December 2004, Petra and her boyfriend Simon Atlee (a British fashion photographer) were caught in the devastating Asian tsunami disaster. Their hut on the Thai beach resort of Khao Lak was swept away by the tsunami, leaving Petra holding on to a tree for eight hours while the water washed by. She was rescued and taken to a hospital to treat a broken pelvis and several internal injuries. Unfortunately, Simon Atlee is still considered missing (as of January 4, 2005).

Petra considers herself "lucky to be alive," and she is giving back to those who were not as lucky, by posing from her hospital bed for US Weekly as a fundraising effort that will donate $200,000 to tsunami relief efforts