Today I want to post about my personal hero - Natalia Vodianova - Russian supermodel and founder of the Naked Heart Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that builds modern playgrounds in the rural cities of Russia.

Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Natalia Vodianova grew up in a poor district of the city with her mother and two half sisters, one of whom has cerebral palsy. As a teenager, Vodianova helped her mother sell fruits on the street and later set up her own fruit stand with a friend to help her family out of poverty. She couldn't finish school because of that.

At the age of 15, Natalia was advised to enroll in a modelling academy, at 17 was chosen by famous Viva Model agency, getting one-way ticket to Paris.

Natalya raised up on the top modeling industry like a rocket - baby face with the eyes of the wolf. In different periods of her career she worked for Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, L'Oréal, David Yurman, Marc Jacobs and others.

At one of the receptions she met Justin Trevor Berkeley Portman, a British property heir and half-brother of the 10th Viscount Portman. Who said that Cinderella was just a fairy tale? But I guess she's just sick of this comparison already! :) They got married in 2001 in St.Petersburg. Now Natalya is a happy mother or three beautiful kids (and she still keeps working!).

After the birth of the second child, daughter Neva, she founded Naked Heart Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that strives to provide a safe and inspiring environment in which to play for every child living in urban Russia. She was inspired to found the charity after visiting Russia with her son Lucas and finding there were no suitable places for children to play. The organisation built its first play park in Nizhny Novgorod. It has since built nearly 38 more.

In 2010, Natalia Vodyanova became an ambassador for Hear the World, a global campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the topic of hearing and hearing loss and to promote good hearing all over the world.

I have read many publications about Natalya in Russia, of course she is very famous here, as well as her interviews for American Vanity Fair and Vogue. I love this brave woman, because it needs a lot of bravery to do charity in Russia. Sounds paradoxical but true - it needs a lot of bravery to stand against the bureaucracy and the local administration of the rural Russian cities. She also tries not to miss the openings of the playgrounds, visiting every city personally.

Great woman. I want to be like her when I grow up :)