Irina Shayk

Irina Valeryevna Shaykhlislamova (Ирина Валерьевна Шайхлисламова; İrina Şəyxelislamova; born 6 January 1986), known professionally as Irina Shayk, is a Russian model.

She was urged to participate in the "Miss Chelyabinsk 2004" beauty contest, which she won; she described this contest as far below the standard of beauty contests one would expect in metropolitan European cities or in the United States.

In 2007, Shayk replaced Ana Beatriz Barros as the face of Intimissimi, and in the same year debuted in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Her other modeling campaigns included Beach Bunny Swimwear, and Guess for the spring/summer 2009 season.

Other work includes the Victoria's Secret catalog, Lacoste, Cesare Paciotti and Morellato.

She signed with IMG Models in May 2009.

After being the face of Intimissimi for three years, Shayk was made the official ambassador for the brand in 2010.

Shayk modeled the Armani Exchange spring/summer 2010 campaign.

She also starred in Kanye West's "Power", directed by artist Marco Brambilla.

She was on the cover of Ocean Drive and GQ South Africa for the August issue.

She ranked first in the "50 Hottest Russian Women" list by Complex magazine.

She made a change from swimwear to high fashion with a spread in Spain's Harper's Bazaar and landed the cover of Elle Spain for their November 2010 issue.

Glamour Spain awarded her "Best International Model of 2010".

At the end of the year, she was pictured nude in the GQ Spain December issue; however, she claimed that she had not stripped for the photoshoot, and that the magazine had digitally altered the images to remove her lingerie.

GQ responded that there are 15 witnesses of her posing nude.

Shayk received international recognition when she appeared as the first Russian model on the cover of the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

In 2022, the website Models.com placed her on their list of the New Supers.

Shayk was born in Yemanzhelinsk (Chelyabinsk Oblast region), Soviet Union, to a Volga Tatar father, Valery Shaykhlislamov (Şəyxelislamov, from Shaykh al-Islām ), a coal miner, and ethnic Russian mother, Olga, a kindergarten music teacher.

She has stated that she inherited her looks from her father and that people often mistake her for being South American, saying, "My father was dark skinned, because he was Tatar, sometimes Tatars can look Brazilian. I get my light eyes from my mother."

She has one sibling, a sister named Tatiana Petenkova.

She is also an aunt to Tatiana's three children including a niece named "Irina" after her.

Shayk started playing piano at age six.

At age nine, she enrolled in a music school and studied there for seven years, both playing the piano and singing in the choir, since her mother wanted her to study music.

Her father died of complications of pneumonia when she was 14, leaving her family with little money and forcing her mother to work two jobs to provide for the family.

After high school, Shayk studied marketing but later instead chose to enter a beauty school with her older sister.

While there, she was noticed by a person from a local modeling agency who was struck by her beauty.

On Valentine's Day, in an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, it was revealed via Billboard that Shayk was the covermodel for the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

This was the fifth time she has been featured in the magazine, but the first time she has been on the cover.

She is the first Russian to appear on the cover.

Shayk became the face of swim label Luli Fama's 2011 advertising campaign and look book.

In 2011, she covered magazines such as Tatler Russia, Twelv, Cosmopolitan Spain, GQ Mexico, Glamour Spain, Amica Italy and appeared on the covered of Elle Spain, the special edition for Christmas.

She also worked for many brands like Rampage, replacing Bar Refaeli, Replay and XTI.

In 2012, she covered Esquire UK, Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Ukraine, Marie Claire Ukraine, Spain and Russia, GQ Germany, Glamour Russia and appeared on 14 Cosmopolitan spring covers worldwide.

She also covered S Moda Spain and The Sunday Times Style.

She also did an editorial for Vanity Fair Italy.

The same year, she has appeared in campaigns for Morellato, Agua Bendita and Blanco.

In November, Shayk covered Twelv Magazine, Second Issue with fellow Russian model Anne V.

In the same month, she appeared in an editorial for Vogue Spain December issue working with Mario Testino.

she ranked 14th in the "Top 20 Sexiest Models" list on Models.com.

The same year, she was voted "Sexiest Woman In The World" in the Hungarian magazine Periodika.