Models whose fate was tragic

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

“Beauty will save the world,” some say. You can't argue with that. But others say: "Do not be born beautiful." One cannot but agree with this phrase. It would seem that when the whole world insists that attractive external data is a guarantee of success, the fate of many famous models proves the opposite. They had everything: recognition, contracts, fans, money … But sometimes fate takes too high a price for their gifts.

Gia Carangi (1960-1986)

Jia, a simple girl from Philadelphia, probably could not have imagined that she would become the embodiment of that notorious American dream. At the age of 17, she went to New York and very quickly became one of the most successful models of the 80s. Although her appearance could hardly be called typical (then blondes were in the price), but the ability to get used to any images brought her fame. The most famous fashion houses wanted to cooperate with Karanji, but Gia could not endure the test of fame. Realizing that now she herself can choose the projects that she likes, the model could not agree to star in a photo shoot just because she did not like her hairstyle. In addition, the star was never interested in men. She did not hide her lesbian inclinations, but she was very worried about this. The feeling of loneliness only intensified after Karanji lost a close friend. If up to this point she “dabbled” in cocaine, then after that she switched to heroin.

It all got to the point that the girl, even on the set, used drugs or made scandals out of the blue. But she was forgiven for whims, and disruptions of filming, and changes in mood. After all, Gia was a star. However, when the model came to the shooting for Vogue magazine with marks of injections on her hands, the employers' patience ran out. Later the model's life went downhill. She unsuccessfully tried to recover from drug addiction, was arrested for drunk driving, tried to steal money from her mother, and began to gain weight. Unsurprisingly, the photographers didn't want to deal with her anymore.

Karanji was forced to go home. At first she lived on unemployment benefits, then got a job as a salesman, and later as a cashier in a supermarket. Eventually, the former model went into prostitution and died of AIDS in 1986.

Alexandra Petrova (1980-2000)

At the age of 16, a girl from Cheboksary won the Miss Russia contest and began to punch her way to success. She became a frequent guest not only on television, but also traveled all over the world, received an offer to work in Hollywood, won the Miss Model International competition, and tried her hand at Miss Universe. However, Sasha did not accept offers from foreign agencies.

But Petrova refused not because she was given conditions to make a short haircut, learn English and lose weight. In her native Cheboksary, 36-year-old lover Konstantin Chuvilin was waiting for her. They said that he was a crime boss, which, in general, is not strange: in the dashing 90s, "brothers" often circled around the models, who, in turn, relations with participants in beauty contests added prestige. Petrova dreamed of opening her own model. agency, and the chosen one supported this idea. The lovers wanted to get married, but their plans were not destined to come true. During a criminal showdown, Sasha, her fiancé and the director of the local market were shot dead. Apparently, Petrova, who was to turn 20 in 2 days, became just an accidental victim - the bullet hit her with a ricochet. However, the murder was never solved.

Svetlana Kotova (1975-1997)

Svetlana is a girl whose fate is in many ways similar to the scenario of the life of Alexandra Petrova. Kotova also took part in the 1996 Miss Russia contest, reached the final, but could not win. But the spectacular beauty was noticed and invited to work at the well-known agency RED STARS.

In the capital, a model in one of the clubs met the criminal authority Alexander Solonik, who escaped from prison, moved to Greece, but sometimes visited Russia. Neighbors of a man in Athens said that he lived on a grand scale, loved luxury and looked after girls beautifully, but changed friends often. Svetlana was lucky to become one of the few who stayed next to the crime boss longer than others. But this is exactly what played a cruel joke with the model.

Russian law enforcement agencies tried in vain to catch Solonik, and in the meantime, competitors in the criminal environment followed on his trail. Three members of the Orekhovskaya organized criminal group settled near Alexander's house in Athens and, under the guise of friendly neighbors, invited the crime boss and his girlfriend to visit (Svetlana came to the chosen one at that time). Later, the killers assured that they gave Kotova a chance to leave, but she herself signed her own death warrant, returning at the moment when they strangled Solonik.

Alexander's body was found in a garbage dump, and they searched for Svetlana for 3 months. Her dismembered corpse was found in a suitcase buried under a tree in the vicinity of Athens.

Eleanor Kondratyuk (born in 1980)

In 1998, the 17-year-old beauty decided to try her hand at the Miss Sochi contest and unexpectedly took 3rd place and won the Miss Charm title. The girl was noticed and invited to participate in a similar event in Moscow. But then the model failed to visit the capital, and later life turned into a nightmare. Local crime boss Ruben Grigoryan drew attention to Kondratyuk and began to persistently seek her favor. However, Eleanor was adamant: neither gifts from the fan, nor his promises to commit suicide, nor threats made her change her mind.

Then the rejected man decided to take revenge. He himself left the city to provide himself with an alibi, and sent two acquaintances to the unapproachable beauty. After waiting a moment, they grabbed the girl by the hair and doused her face with sulfuric acid mixed with oil. The criminals did not choose such a composition by chance: it is impossible to wash it off with plain water. Eleanor's face was completely disfigured. In addition, drops of acid got into the mouth, and internal organs were also severely damaged. Doctors wondered how Kondratyuk managed to survive in general - the burns were so severe.

But the girl not only survived, but is trying to return to normal life. For 20 years, she underwent about 200 operations, her vision was partially restored. Recently it became known that Eleanor got married, graduated from being a psychologist, but still has to go to Germany for treatment. And Grigoryan, as the customer, received only 11 years in prison, and his accomplices even less - 6 and 7 years.

Monica Speer (1984-2014)

“Miss Venezuela” in 2004, who became the fourth on “Miss Universe”, decided not to limit herself to her modeling career. She graduated from theatrical art and was able to build a successful career in film and television. Monica got married, gave birth to a daughter, moved to the United States, where she worked as a presenter on Spanish-speaking channels. The girl and her family came to her native Venezuela for the holidays, and the 2014 Christmas holidays were no exception. On that day, Speer, her husband and 5-year-old daughter were driving along a deserted road when their car ran into something sharp, causing two wheels to be punctured at once. It is possible that the accident was set up by local bandits, who thus robbed passers-by.

The couple called the police and waited. But the criminals were at the scene of the accident before the guards: they shot Monica and her husband. Fortunately, the child was only wounded in the leg and survived. However, the bandits did not manage to go far: they were caught and tried.

Agnieszka Kotlyarska (1972-1996)

In 1991 Poland won the Miss International competition for the first time. The victory was brought to the country by 19-year-old Agnieszka Kotlyarskaya. After such success, offers from various agencies rained down on the girl, and she decided to conquer New York.

Later Agnieszka got married, returned to her native country, where she was very loved by fans, including unwanted ones. A strange man named Jerzy began to pursue the model, and his fanatical affection manifested itself in a very strange way: he either confessed his love for the girl, then began to threaten her. After Kotlyarskaya tied the knot, her fan seemed to have broken off the chain. Having studied the lifestyle of the spouses, he once watched them near the house and attacked Agnieszka's wife with a knife. Defending her beloved, the girl was mortally wounded. Her husband managed to survive.

Maria Jose Alvarado (1995-2014)

In the spring of 2014, 19-year-old Alvarado became Miss Honduras and in December was supposed to represent her country at the international level in London. However, in November, Maria José and her sister Sophia Trinidad went missing. The girls were last seen at a party at one of the resorts. But where they disappeared remained a mystery until five days later their bodies were found buried near the river. The young man Sophia Trinidad immediately fell under suspicion, who soon confessed to the murder. According to him, he did not like that his girlfriend was dancing with another guy. They quarreled, and in a fit of rage, he pulled out a pistol and shot his beloved. Maria José, who also received a fatal bullet while trying to protect her sister, became an accidental witness to the quarrel. As a result, the young man received 45 years in prison for double murder.

As a sign of respect to the family of the deceased, Honduras did not look for a replacement for Alvarado for Miss World and missed the competition in 2014.