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Petra Němcová (born June 24, 1979 in Karviná;
pronounced Nyemtsovah) is a Czech Republic born
fashion model.
Her father was a bricklayer and her mother, a
teacher. She became a model after being spotted at
the age of 16 during a national talent search.
She was featured on the cover of the 2003 Sports
Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and has also modeled for
Victoria's Secret, and for many other companies in
the women's clothing market. On June 3, 2004, she
was one of the telecast judges during the 53rd
annual Miss Universe competition in Quito, Ecuador.
The 2004 tsunami
During the Indian Ocean earthquake of 26 December
2004, Petra was at the Khao Lak resort in Thailand
with her main photographer and fiancé, Simon Atlee
when a tsunami struck where they were staying.
Atlee was killed by drowning, and Němcová suffered a
broken pelvis and serious internal injuries, but she
managed to hold onto the top of a palm tree,
reportedly for eight hours, until she was rescued by
Thai civilians and airlifted to an inland hospital
nearby. Petra spent three weeks in a Thai hospital,
and then flew home to the Czech Republic, where she
spent an additional three weeks in the hospital.
Atlee's body was not found until over two months
after the tsunami. Petra's first interview after her
near-death experience was with Diane Sawyer on ABC's
Primetime Live, on March 9, 2005. She has also told
of her experiences on the "Coady Read Live" program
on CNN television.
Moving on
Glamour magazine recently awarded Němcová a
"Survivor Award" for the tsunami ordeal, and how she
has picked up her life since then (her comeback
being complete with her appearance in the 2006
Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue). She also
appeared in the 2007 British FHM calander as Miss
May.
She wrote Love Always, Petra, ISBN 0446579130,
published December 2005. It tells of her early life
under Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, her entrance
into the field of fashion and modeling, and her
breakthrough into Sports Illustrated, which was her
springboard to becoming a supermodel. She also tells
of her life with Simon Atlee and how they fell in
love and became engaged to marry.
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