Victoria Silvstedt

Preceded by: Ulrika Ericsson
Succeeded by: Jami Ferrell
Playmate of the Year 1997
Preceded by: Stacy Sanches
Succeeded by: Karen McDougal
Born: September 19, 1974 (1974-09-19)
Skellefteå, Sweden
Measurements Bust: 36C
Waist: 25
Hips: 37 (95C-63-97cm)
Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight: 63 kg (140 lb/9.9 st)

Karen Victoria Silvstedt (b. September 19, 1974, Skellefteå, Sweden) is a Swedish supermodel and former professional skier.

Biography

Silvstedt was a member of the Swedish National Ski Team, ranking as high as fourth among her Olympic teammates in the Super-Giant Slalom. Silvstedt claimed that at the age of 16 she competed in a "Best Fake Orgasm" contest at a local bar. The contestants were Silvstedt and 10 men. She won a brand-new TV. When she came home, she told her mother she won it at a game of bingo.

Silvstedt was the first runner-up in Miss Sweden bowing to Johanna Lind, and went on to represent Sweden in the Miss World contest in South Africa, reaching the final eight contestants. She was then signed by a Parisian modeling agent and began a career in high fashion, working for various companies including Chanel, Christian Dior, Loris Azzaro, Givenchy, Valentino, and Giorgio Armani.

Bishõjo-kikõ

In 1993, Silvstedt appeared in "Girls of Northern Europe" (Bishiõjo-kikõ), in which she was photographed in full frontal nudity three years before appearing in Playboy in 1996. After being approached by Hugh Hefner, she appeared as a centerfold in the December 1996 issue of Playboy and was subsequently named Playmate of the Year in 1997. As a European, not being aware of the wider distribution and publicity effect of Playboy, she suddenly broke into the North American market. She has been featured in countless magazines, including GQ, Maxim, FHM, Gear and Nuts, where in 2005 she came second to actress Jennifer Ellison in a competition to find the Sexiest Blonde in the World.

Away from Playboy

Like many glamour models and Playmates before her, she is trying to branch out into acting and business. Silvstedt claims her favorite hobby is singing, and in 2001 she recorded an album called "Girl On the Run", published by EMI, which went gold in Sweden with the hit singles, "Hello, Hey" and "Rocksteady Love".

Silvstedt was already well recognised in the UK when she took on a new career hosting The Late Show on Virgin Radio, and as a guest host on the TV show Eurotrash. She has appeared on the American TV shows Melrose Place and MTV’s The Real World, and has worked on Italian TV hosting several shows.

Wheel of Fortune in three versions

She currently co-hosts La Roue de la Fortune, the French version of Wheel of Fortune on TF1, alongside Christophe Dechavanne, as well as its Italian counterpart, La Ruota della Fortuna and Turkish counterpart, making her the only Wheel of Fortune hostess to host three international versions at the same time.

She made guest appearances in the Hollywood motion pictures: Boat Trip, The Independent, BASEketball, and Out Cold where she played up to her Swedish-Blonde "Inga" character. Silvstedt is now acting in lead roles in European films mainly based in Italy, and taking to the stage in North America.

Silvstedt became a spokesmodel for Guess? Jeans, following in the footsteps of former Guess models, Eva Herzigova, Anna Nicole Smith, and Shana Zadrick. In February 2006 she launched her own lingerie range during London Fashion Week.

As of November 2007 she has been in Italy promoting her new film, Matrimonio alle Bahamas, an Italian comedy starring Massimo Boldi.

Personal life

Silvstedt speaks fluent Swedish, French, English and a little Italian. She dubbed three films in Italian.

Silvstedt married WCBS-TV news anchor Chris Wragge in June 2000 at Tuxedo Park Country Club in New York. In June 2006, Victoria and Chris threatened legal action against Sky News for slander, after pictures of her in Sardinia with a man other than her husband were published the Internet. Sky News had to remove the photograph. Silvstedt and Wragge later separated and are divorcing.

Appearances in "Playboy" special editions

* Playboy's Nude Playmates (# 1), June 1997.
* Playboy's Playmate Review (# 13), July 1997 - cover, pp. 1 & 84--93.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie vol. 58, November 1997 - pp. 28--31.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie vol. 59, January 1998 - pp. 61--65.
* Playboy's Wet & Wild (# 2), May 1998.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer (# 14), June 1998.
* Playboy's Supermodels (# 2), August 1998 - pp. 90--93.
* Playboy's Body Language, October 1998 - pp. 90-91.
* Playboy's Playmate Tests (# 1), November 1998 - cover.
* Playboy's Playmates in Bed (# 3), February 1999 - pp. 82--85.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie vol. 67, May 1999 - cover, pp. 1 & 32-33.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer (# 15), June 1999 - pp. 50-51.
* Playboy's Celebrating Centerfolds vol. 3, October 1999.
* Playboy's Voluptuous Vixens (# 3), October 1999.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie vol. 75, September 2000.
* Playboy's Nude Playmates (# 3), April 2001 - pp. 44-45.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer (# 17), May 2001.
* Playboy's Sexy 100 (# 1), February 2003 - cover.
* Playboy's Blondes, Brunettes & Redheads (# 3), June 2003.