Noemie Lenoir

Born: 19/09/1979 (43 yo)
Birth place: Les Ulis (France)

Citizenship : France
Ascendant : Other African
Ethnicity : Reunion island and Malagasy ancestry

Occupation : Fashion Model , Actress
Active Years: 1997-present

Summary

Noémie Lenoir is a French model and actress of mixed heritage. She is best known for appearing in top magazines such as Elle and Sports Illustrated, and modeling in advertisements for high fashion brands. She is known for her work with Gucci, L'Oréal, Next, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, and Marks and Spencer. She has been featured in a line-up of the world's most successful black models by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Biography

Lenoir was born in Les Ulis, Essonne, France. Her mother comes from the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean and has Malagasy ancestry. Her father is a retired French electrician who later divorced her mother. Her family moved first to Gif-sur-Yvette and then to Versailles where she was discovered and started her career in modelling.

Career

Growing up in a banlieue district near Paris, which she describes as a "ghetto", Lenoir was first spotted at the age of 17 in 1997 when she was approached by a Ford booker in a post office. She signed with L'Oréal in 1997, and has since appeared in their advertisements alongside Laetitia Casta and long-term model and actress Andie MacDowell. She has also worked for Victoria's Secret, Gap, Next, and many others.

Lenoir was the face of UK high-street retailer Marks & Spencer, for four years until Christmas 2009 and was seen in various British magazines and billboards alongside fellow models Twiggy and Laura Bailey. Lenoir returned to Marks & Spencer advertising in 2012 where she is seen "enjoying a selection of quintessentially British pastimes".

In 2007, Lenoir featured in the hit film Rush Hour 3 alongside actors Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. In 2009, Lenoir featured in the music video for Usher's single "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)". As of April 2011 she is represented by Models 1.

Personal life

After a relationship with rapper Stomy Bugsy, she lived with[citation needed] international football player Claude Makélélé of Paris Saint-Germain. They have a son, Kelyan Makélélé (born February 2, 2005). The couple split in early 2009. Despite widespread reports Lenoir was married to Makélélé, she wrote a blog in 2009 clarifying their former relationship, saying: "I’m not and have never been married. I do have a son. I have a wonderful baby’s father and have a great relationship with him, however I’ve been single for some time now."

Suicide attempt

On May 9, 2010, Lenoir was found unconscious, after a suspected suicide attempt in a park near her Paris home, by a man walking his dog. She was rushed to hospital where large quantities of drugs and alcohol were found in her system. She spoke about the suicide attempt in a February 2011 interview with Britain's Guardian Weekend magazine, admitting she'd done 'something really, really stupid'. Some have referred to the incident as a case in a "series of suicidal tragedies" ongoing in the fashion industry at the time, along with the suicides of Ambrose Olsen, Daul Kim, Hayley Kohle, and Ruslana Korshunova.

Websites & Social Networks

twitter.com/NoemieLenoirOff