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

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

My personal memories of the brand go way back to the time when I was a teenager. L'Oreal make-up felt like a real luxury for me, and I remember dreaming of purchasing a L'Oreal lipstick.

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.

My parents were both born in 1930. They grew up during the Depression. They wanted their children to have secure lives, to have a good salary and a pension plan. If I could've guaranteed that I'd be a best-selling writer, that would've been one thing, but nobody could say that. So I knew better than to say that was ambition.

I took a gap year myself after high school and worked on a farm near Lyon, France. I stayed with the Vallet family, picked and packed fruit, and discovered that red wine can be a breakfast drink. That led to further travel as a university student.

I love cooking. There is nothing I like better than going home and cooking my family a nice meal. Anything with pasta! Pasta with butter! I have a good repertoire, and I can do quite a few different dishes. Sometimes they work out and sometimes not.

My parents were always very strict, and they gave me the right beliefs in how to treat people. It was very strict and all about morals - I try to pass that on to my own children.