Sophie Holmes
Sophie Holmes is a British Fashion Model, born April 24th, 1988 in Manchester, England, UK. She signed with IMG in 2008 after being scouted by Select at the Clothes Show. “I was your typical lanky teen. Lanky to the point that I got teased quite a lot for it – I remember one girl handing out a petition to fellow pupils asking whether I they thought I was too thin or not.” She was 14 at the time.
She met husband Pete on a plane to Las Vegas where she was working with Wrangler on a campaign. The pair ran into each other again in Paris, and the West End. Pete broke it off with his girlfriend to pursue Sophie, and proposed to her on her father's 50th birthday. They were married a year later in South Africa, and have a child together.
Career
While not a household name, Sophie Holmes has worked with all the big names in Fashion, including Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton to name a few. Signed as professional model at age 14, by age 16 she had filled out and became “body obsessed”. Some bad advice on fitness and nutrition from her agency resulted in a period where she was too thin. “I lost loads of weight to the point that I was absolutely tiny. Too thin”. A troublesome relationship led the young model to put the weight back on.
This obsession with body image and weight eventually led to a missed opportunity to earn her wings from Victoria’s Secret. A decision to undergo a liposuction procedure to remove a stubborn pocket of fat occurred at the same time she was optioned for Victoria’s Secret. The bandages and recovery from the procedure meant Sophie Holmes couldn’t exercise properly, and was told “I wasn’t toned enough and to come back when I was in shape. I never got a call back though”.
Controversy Sophie Holmes had been represented by Select, and had a deep relationship with her main booker Emma. When Emma left Select for IMG, Sophie followed, and caused an uproar at Select. “I decided to give Select 6 months, and if I was happy with work, I’d stay. Well…It was a terrible 6 months, and I think I barely worked! My mind was made”.
She hand wrote letters to the agency that were delivered by courier explaining that she felt her career was going in a different direction, and she was leaving to pursue other opportunities. The letters were met with angry phone calls and text messages. “… girls need to remember that the agency work for us as much as we work for them, and if you’re not happy and not working, then don’t be scared to move”.
Safari While still accepting direct bookings for modeling work, Sophie and her family are indulging their passion for animals and wildlife by working to start a Safari in South Africa (where they now reside) and promoting eco-tourism in the area. “The sight of rhinos being hunted for ivory and facing extinction makes me incredibly angry and upset. So I want to dedicate my life to the conservation and rehabilitation of wildlife”. She has reportedly purchased the land, and the project is currently underway.