After school, my sister and I helped our mom in the garden. We grew potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes - not for fun, but to eat.

I love honest men, and a I love a man who is loyal to women.

When I was a teenager, I experimented a lot with hair colour, and the result was just awful.

I don't believe in men who make us feel unhappy, because they're boys, not men.

I couldn't speak any English when I first left Russia, and Intimissimi taught me everything. The team was like a family to me - they showed me how to model and how to stay in shape. They really believed in me.

I'm a woman who is very confident with the body, with my body.

I hate cardio; I hate to go for a run. I hate physical things. But Jiu Jitsu is fun because its self-defence and you get some good cardio.

You can't just dream about what you want and leave things to chance. You have to get it yourself.

The 'Hercules' role just kind of came to me, but I had a lot of fun trying something new.

Try not to eat after 7 P.M. Try to stay away from heavy food in the night, like hamburgers and chicken nuggets. Eat that stuff in the morning or early afternoon.

I'm from a very small village in the middle of nowhere, four hours by airplane from Moscow. Yemanzhelinsk - you wouldn't find it on the map. Don't even try it. It's super, super tiny.

In Russia, we eat a lot of heavy food like potatoes and lots of meat. I can't eat one apple or a salad a day. You wouldn't want to come talk to me if I don't eat. I have to eat, or I am in a really bad mood.

Just for you to know, people, models, are very smart. We're investing money in the right way, and, you know, a modeling job I'm taking as a businesswoman. So it's not fun for me; it's work.

I get my light eyes from my mother.

Don't forget to eat a lot of greens and fish oil pills. Those are two of the best things to keep your skin glowing.

I think success is very hard work, so, you know, if you work hard and you have some success, you have to give up something.

You have to invest the money in a certain thing, because, you know, at 40, I want to enjoy my life. So I do a lot of investments. Apartments back in Russia and New York. It's a good thing to do.

My father used to be a fisherman, so it always makes me feel close to him when I am there on the water catching my dinner.

At 14, I'd have given my left arm to be a boy: I thought I was horrible and that no-one would ever find me attractive.

Nothing is easy, and as far as my modelling career goes, the path to the top has been long and difficult, but that's what makes it special. I always look back to remind myself where I've come from.

When it comes to lingerie, there are no rules. I feel the sexiest when I'm myself, no hair, no makeup.

Of course I prefer to be with someone, but with the right someone.

When I grew up, my role model was my grandma because she's just the best.

All women have insecurities and bad times. What counts is how you overcome them.