Her boyfriend is world famous footballer (i.e. soccer player) Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid. He also modeled for Armani.
Irina Shaykhlislamova, 25, was born in a little Russian coal mining town called Yemanzhelinsk. After being discovered by a local modeling scout, she rather prudently shortened her name to Irina Shayk (pronounced Shake) as even she admits her name is difficult to pronounce.
After being named the Sports Illustrated bikini cover model in February, a platform that has launched the careers of everyone from Christie Brinkley to Kathy Ireland to Tyra Banks, Irina is hoping to follow in their pretty but big footsteps.
I first wrote about Irina in February, just after her cover was announced. (See: Irina Shayk and the Allure of the Russian Girl).
Now she joins me from an Avon photo shoot. We talk about the cover that changed her life, which model’s career she’d like to have, jealous girls, and even Dostoyevsky.
KB: How did you learn you would be the Sports Illustrated cover model?
IS: Nobody knew who would be on the cover, it was kept top secret until the last moment. I was on the David Letterman show with some of the other Sports Illustrated models and we read the top ten list. Then they put us in the green room, and David Letterman announced I was on the cover. Nobody knew. I couldn’t believe it. I cried. (See Irina’s winner interview with David Letterman here.)
KB: How did life change after you became the SI cover model?
IS: It’s one of the most important things that can happen to a model in her career. People now recognize me on the street. A couple of days ago, I took a shower and then was walking my dog, and a man came up to me with a bag full of magazines. He came from New Jersey, and was like, “Can you sign these magazines?” It was about 10 p.m., and here I am with wet hair.
KB: You have to love those late night stalkers. Anything else?
IS: The cover has launched countless modeling careers. I did receive requests to be in movies, but I want to concentrate on my modeling.
KB: Is there a model whose career you’d like to emulate?
IS: Couple weeks ago, I saw Cindy Crawford in a restaurant. I was so shocked I cannot eat. She is so incredibly very successful, especially as a business model. She has a family, yet she also has a furniture line, a skincare line [Meaningful Beauty]. I’m getting these kinds of requests. But right now I want to take it easy and make some great decisions. You get a great team around you, people telling you what is the right thing and what is not. Sometimes you just want to go for the money, but then your agent pulls you back and says, “That’s not the right decision.”
KB: I'd say, "Give me the money."
IS: I started my career late, at 20. So that has given me a start that a lot of girls at 14 or 15 won’t have, who may not understand that this isn’t all fun, that you look to your career as a businesswoman and make the right movements.
KB: Why are Russian models so in demand?
IS: It’s a very big country, there are so many regions, so you can find many types of beauties in Russia, not only Slavic but a mix of various nationalities. And Russian women work very hard. Don’t get me wrong, American women are beautiful women too.
KB: What would you honestly tell girls who want to be models? It's not like everyone can do it.
IS: You have to be strong in your mind and be yourself and know what you want. There’s a lot of jealous people around who will try to push you down and say bad things about you, tell you you’re not pretty and can’t be a model. I used to have a lot of jealous girls laughing at me. But if you want to do something, you should put your mind to it.
KB: Jealous twits. I bet they aren't laughing now.
IS: I was the tallest girl in school, and yet I loved to wear high heels. My classmates would make fun of me for being so tall and skinny.
KB: How did this all begin for you?
IS: There was an ad for a local beauty school at the bus stop, and my oldest sister was always interested in beauty school, she was always doing my make-up, and she asked me to go with her, and next door was a modeling school. A manager came up and found me. The first city I went to was Paris. It was kind of difficult, because I didn’t speak English.
KB: Did you always want to model?
IS: No, I never thought about it. But my mom was working two jobs to support us, and in my mind, I wanted to help her.
KB: What did you plan to be before you became a model?
IS: I loved to read Dostoyevsky and write stories, so I thought maybe I’d do something with literature or be a writer.
KB: You might the right decision. What was your childhood like?
IS: My dad passed away when I was 14 of pneumonia. We didn’t have any money. My mother worked two jobs to support me and my sister. When I started modeling, there was no chance to say no. I was looking back to my family, I wanted to help them.
KB: You’re nicer than I am. I'd say, “Get a job!”
IS: I told my mother, “Mom, you should not work.” She says, “No way I will stop working.” She’s 70 years old and has a cream shop back in Russia.
KB: What is the main difference between Russia and America?
IS: There’s a lot of difference. I love my country; I love food in Russia. They say people in Russia are colder, but I don’t think so. People in America are very emotional. Russian people can be a little cold, but maybe it’s the very cold winter.
KB: I went to Moscow in December. It was good because it stopped me from complaining about New York winters.
IS: You cannot freeze a Russian woman anywhere; I don’t care if it’s Antarctica.
KB: What are you working on right now?
IS: A campaign for Avon. And I have some projects in Europe. There is a secret Sports Illustrated project going on right now, I can’t tell you what it is.
KB: A Sports Illustrated 3-D movie?
IS: Do not try and get it out of me! There will be a sneak peek in September.
KB: What is your life goal?
IS: To have my own success, and my own money. Hopefully, when I’m 40, I will be speaking to you again.
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