Daniella Sarahyba

By Sara Templeton

It's been far too long since we profiled a Brazilian bombshell here on the Lifestyle Channel, so allow me to introduce Daniella Sarahyba.

Standing 178cm tall, or 5'10", Daniella is not your atypical Brazilian model.

Granted, she's gorgeous, tall, and probably very likeable. Kind of like me really, except for the tall and likeable bit.

Though she does have the amazonian stature and refined features, she's unlike a lot of other top models in that she has a smile that can melt ice - and isn't afraid to spread the happiness.

But then again, it could all be a show. I mean, I've never met the woman though I do have a Brazilian friend. Well, he's the building manager actually.

Daniella was born on July 8th, in 1986, in Brazil's second most famous city, Rio de Janeiro. The most famous city of course being Sao Paulo, adroitly depicted in City of God.

Anyway, Daniella's story is intriguing in that she followed in her mother's footsteps, who was the first model in the Sarahyba family.

Interestingly, when she was just a few days old, Daniella's mother Mara Lucia Sarahyba appeared on the front cover of a Brazilian magazine in 1986 (Pais & Filhos), and it was her first taste of modeling.

Naturally it wasn't long before Daniella started entering modeling contests herself. As they say in theatre, "monkey see, monkey do".

By the age of 12 she was well and truly on her way to a career in fashion world, and was eventually signed up by the IMG model agency, who also have luminaries such as Gisele Bundchen on their books.

After signing on with IMG, the real work began and before long it was photo shoot after photo shoot for Daniella Sarahyba, who I like to call the smiling super model.

She has since worked on campaigns for companies such as H&M, GAP Body, Benetton, and even mainstream camera (Olympus) and car (Peugeot) companies.

Daniella Sarahyba has also featured in a range of glossy mags, including Elle, Vogue, and international publications such as the popular Corpo a Corpo and Boa Forma.

The alluring model has confessed to being a fitness freak, and isn't satisfied with a workout unless she's soaked with sweat.

The big bucks really began flowing when she scored gigs with one of the America's best known lingerie brands, Victoria's Secret. She has also been a favourite in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, appearing in three separate issues ('05, '06, '07).

So what's next for the Brazilian brunette? Well, Daniella Sarahyba has objectives like you and me - to start a family and host her own talk show. My talk will be better though. I plan on having square dancing.