In her early life, Irina Shayk (sometimes credited as Irina Sheik) was born January 6, 1986 with birth name is Irina Shaykhlislamova (Russian: Ирина Шайхлисламова) at her hometown in Yemanzhelinsk, Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Irina Shayk’s late father Valeri was of Tatar origin and Irina Shayk’s mother is Russian. Irina Shayk says that she got her unusual looks from her father, and Irina Shayk has said that people often think she is South American. “My father was dark skinned, because he was Tatar. Sometimes Tatars can look Brazilian”, Irina Shayk says. “I get my light eyes from my mother”. Irina Shayk’s mother was a pianist who was the music teacher in a kindergarten, and Irina Shayk’s father was a coal miner. She has one sibling, an older sister named Tatiana. Irina Shayk started playing piano at age six. At age nine Irina Shayk enrolled in a music school and studied there for seven years, both playing the piano and singing in the choir, as Irina Shayk’s mother wanted Irina Shayk to music study. Irina Shayk’s father died of complications of pneumonia when she was 14, leaving Irina Shayk’s family with little money and forcing her mother to work two jobs to provide for the family.
After high school, Irina Shayk studied marketing but was bored by it and entered a local beauty school with her elder sister. While Irina Shayk there, Irina Shayk was meet a person from a local modeling agency. Irina Shayk was urged to participate in the “Miss Chelyabinsk 2004″ beauty contest, and Irina Shayk won. The modeling scout Guia Jikidze (he also discovered Natalia Vodianova, Eugenia Volodina, Polina Kouklina, Katia Elizarova, Elena Melnik, and Olga Sherer among others) noticed her and recommended that Irina Shayk become a model.
In her personal life, Irina Shayk has a pet dog named Caesare (named after Julius Caesar), a Lab who, Irina Shayk claims, was fathered by one of the dogs who played the title role in “Marley & Me”.
In her career, Irina Shayk started her career relatively late for a model, at the age of 19, when Irina Shayk began modeling in Paris. Irina Shayk on 2007 replaced Ana Beatriz Barros as the face of Intimissimi and in the same year debuted in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Since that time, Irina Shayk has appeared in every annual edition, attending photoshoots in such places as St Petersburg, Naples, Grenada and Chile. After being the image of Intimissimi for three years (six seasons), Irina Shayk was made the official ambassador for the brand on 2010. Irina Shayk’s other modeling contracts include Beach Bunny (2009), and Guess spring season/summer season 2009. Irina Shayk’s magazine covers include Annabelle magazine, Bolero magazine, Woman magazine, Jalouse magazine, and Paris Capital magazine. Irina Shayk signed with modeling agency IMG on May 2009.
On 2010 until present, Irina Shayk modeled the Armani Exchange spring season/summer season 2010 campaign. Irina Shayk also starred in Kanye West’s “Power”, directed by artist Marco Brambilla. Is on the cover of Ocean Drive and GQ South Africa for the August issue. Irina Shayk ranked first in the “50 Hottest Russian Women” list by Complex magazine. Irina Shayk 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 Irina Shayk as “Best International Model of 2010″ (Spanish: Mejor Modelo Internacional).
