Natalia Vodianova

Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova was born in Gorky, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Nizhny Novgorod, Russia). She grew up in a district of the city (Avtozavod, GAZ car factory) with her mother, Larisa, and two younger half-sisters, Oksana and Kristina Kusakina. Oksana has autism. Vodianova has another younger half-sister, Jennifer "Jenna" Burns (born Maria Mashinka in 1999), who was placed for adoption as a baby and raised in North Carolina, United States. One of Vodianova's grandmothers is Mordovian (Erzya). Vodianova was raised in a poor neighbourhood and has stated that she was often bullied for being too skinny and badly dressed. At the age of 11 Vodianova started helping her mother by selling fruit on the street. Vodianova's mother's experience with abusive boyfriends caused Vodianova to move out at the age of 15. Vodianova revealed that she found her sister Jenna Burns, who had been given up for adoption, through a DNA test.