“A lot of people think that to make it as a model you just need to be pretty and slim, but they're wrong. There's a lot of hard work involved. You have to be very focused, know what kind of work you're aiming for.”

“Actually, I wanted to become a journalist, but no matter who I imagined myself to be in the future, somehow I was sure: I would leave my hometown. I felt it was my destiny.”

“After school, my sister and I helped our mom in the garden. We grew potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes - not for fun, but to eat.”

“All women have insecurities and bad times. What counts is how you overcome them.”

“At 14, I'd have given my left arm to be a boy: I thought I was horrible and that no-one would ever find me attractive.”

“Both should share the same concept of what a relationship means and the same energy to believe in a monogamous relationship.”

“Boys never liked me at school. They made fun of me 'cos I had dark skin.”

“Don't forget to eat a lot of greens and fish oil pills. Those are two of the best things to keep your skin glowing.”

“Even if you have some extra kilos, you don't need to kill yourself for that; you just have to look at yourself as a positive.”

“I always had a short bob with bangs, and I hated it. My mum would always say, 'A short hair cut is always the way to go for you.' I had it for fourteen years!”

“I am really bad with cleaning my closet.”

“I am trying to concentrate on books. You know, I love Dostoevsky; he's my favourite writer.”

“I believe women should be independent and have their own life. But I also think that when a couple decides to have a family, things change because you need to live in unison.”

“I do boxing; I do a little jiu jitsu, which I am obsessed with.”

“I don't believe in men who make us feel unhappy, because they're boys, not men.”

“I don't care what people think about me. I really don't.”

“I don't know how many kids I am going to have, but definitely I am one of those women who wants to have family and kids.”

“I don't spend a lot of money on clothes, which is weird because I am a fashion model, but when it comes to the new collections coming out, I am just praying designers send it to me for free.”

“I feel like woman was brought to this world to have family and kids.”

“I get my light eyes from my mother.”

“I hate morning workout; I'm a night person more. But it's good to work out in the mornings because then you can have all day free.”

“I hate wearing makeup because I am just too lazy to take it off at night.”

“I love fast food, but you have to try to eat healthy.”

“I love high heels from the age of 10! Short skirts and then high heels. My classmates used to make fun of me. Like, 'Ooh, she's so skinny and she's wearing high heels.' But I just wore what I like, and I didn't care about people's opinions, the same as I don't care now.”

“I love honest men, and a I love a man who is loyal to women.”

“I never thought of a career of as a model, and it was a total surprise for me when I won the contest and became Miss Chelyabinsk. Then I started modelling in Paris.”

“I started modelling quite late, at 20. In this industry, girls start when they're barely even 14 or 15.”

“I started playing piano age six. I was also singing in the choir, so my mum put me into music school. I went to study there for seven years, but it was not my passion. I quit because I wanted to study marketing. But I can still play piano.”

“I think a woman feels ugly when she's got the wrong man at her side.”

“I think of myself as a cover girl. But I would never do some kind of cheesy magazine.”

“I think success is very hard work, so, you know, if you work hard and you have some success, you have to give up something.”

“I was born and raised in a small village, and I didn't even think I was especially pretty.”

“I was noticed by a person from a local model agency, and he proposed that I participate in a beauty contest Miss Chelyabinsk.”

“I would love to play a crazy Russian spy, run with a gun. That's something I would love to do.”

“I would never do 'Playboy.'”

“If you are in a relationship, it has to be a good one. If it isn't, it's best to just leave it.”

“If you want to eat chocolate or cakes, you have to eat it in the morning, for breakfast or lunch - don't eat it in the night.”

“If you're with someone, it's because you're moving in the same direction, and you both are looking for the same thing. Both of you have to share the same concept of what a relationship means.”

“I'm a model, but I love to eat.”

“I'm a woman who is very confident with the body, with my body.”

“I'm always sad to leave paradise, but I leave behind the hopes of coming again soon.”

“I'm in hotel rooms most of the time, and it can be hard to find a hotel with a nice gym. It was important for me to have a workout I could do in my room.”

“I'm not a fan of soccer, for sure not.”

“I'm really grateful to my fans - to all the people who support me.”

“I'm Russian: I'm into men, diamonds, and caviar.”

“In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career, and you have to be strong inside because so many people come around and try to say bad things about you.”

“In the morning, I always use a cube of ice on my face - it gives me a natural lift.”

“It doesn't matter if you're small, big, or fit: if you go in front of the camera and deliver and say, 'Oh my God, I look amazing,' and just be sure about yourself, everything will be perfect.”

“It's very simple. You have to be faithful to your other half and not have secrets. That's my rule.”

“I've felt ugly and insecure.”

“Money is not important to me. What makes me feel successful is making the people I love happy.”

“Mutual respect is very important in a relationship, and since my work is part of my life, he would have to respect it.”

“My father used to be a fisherman, so it always makes me feel close to him when I am there on the water catching my dinner.”

“My father was dark skinned because he was Tatar. Sometimes Tatars can look Brazilian.”

“My favorite spot is the Maldives. Since I travel so much for work, I like to go to places that are very secluded and quiet.”

“My ideal man is faithful, honest, and a gentleman who knows how to treat women.”

“Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing.”

“Nothing is easy, and as far as my modelling career goes, the path to the top has been long and difficult, but that's what makes it special. I always look back to remind myself where I've come from.”

“Of course I prefer to be with someone, but with the right someone.”

“Of course I want to have a family, but there's a right time for everything. When my time comes, it will happen.”

“Of course, nothing just falls into your lap - to get where I am now, I've worked hard.”

“Relationships are hard, so you have to know what type of man you want by your side and what their values are, what is important in his life.”

“Sometimes I wake up and think I look horrible. And sometimes I see a strong woman.”

“Sometimes when I'm on set, I keep eating, and people are like, 'You really eat that?' I'm like, 'Yes, I do.'”

“Stay away from the sun and remember the skin on a woman's neck, hands and face is sensitive and ages easily, so apply a high SPF sunscreen on those areas.”

“The only art I have is a Polaroid from Peter Beard from his book. I shot with him four years ago, and he did a special Polaroid for me, so I consider it a piece of art.”

“This is my favorite area in New York - the West Village is the heart of New York. I could never move somewhere else.”

“To be half-naked for a Greek mythology movie, it's a piece of art. You know, there's nothing vulgar in there.”

“Try not to eat after 7 P.M. Try to stay away from heavy food in the night, like hamburgers and chicken nuggets. Eat that stuff in the morning or early afternoon.”

“Use coconut oil; it is one of the best moisturizers. Use it right after the shower on wet skin and then wipe it off with a towel.”

“What I've never understood is why some women use plastic surgery to make themselves more attractive to men. The most beautiful woman is someone who's happy and is always smiling.”

“When I grew up, my role model was my grandma because she's just the best.”

“When I was growing up in Russia, my grandmothers would cook the best pancakes in the world, the best meatballs, the best dumplings.”

“While I can always use a break from the gym, I like to swim and dive to keep myself feeling good.”

“Yes, I am a lingerie model, but I have class.”

“You can't break Russian people, you know? 'Cos we're made in cold snow. We're very resistant.”

“You have to invest the money in a certain thing, because, you know, at 40, I want to enjoy my life. So I do a lot of investments. Apartments back in Russia and New York. It's a good thing to do.”

“You have to love your body, respect it, and treat it well.”