Published: 18 September, 2009, 14:20
Edited: 18 September, 2009, 12:16
He is a heart-throb for millions across the world, but the heart of cinema superstar, Leonardo DiCaprio, may belong to a Russian woman.
Anna Vyalitsyna, one of the world's top supermodels, is now also being linked to one of the hottest names in Hollywood.
One way to realize you have become a supermodel is if the man in the next sun lounger is Leonardo DiCaprio.
The heart-throb turned thespian – never dates anyone else. And recent paparazzi shots from Ibiza indicate that Anna Vyalitsyna is his latest squeeze. It caps a stunning recent rise for the Russian starlet.
Already one of the top catwalk pros, she stars in Sports Illustrated's latest Swimsuit Issue and is the face of Chanel's new perfume. And the effect of her new-found fame on her town has been seismic.
To find out what makes a star, RT went to Nizhniy Novgorod, visiting the school she attended, to find that current students discuss the famous graduate with a mixture of envy and awe.
Former teachers are being flooded with interview requests, with one Galina Ivanova surprised at Anna Vyalitsyna’s rise to fame.
“I'm very surprised this has happened to her. She wasn't even the prettiest girl in her class, but she was a nice person.”
Vyalitsyna is not the first supermodel to blossom from Nizhniy Novgorod. Natalia Vodianova famously worked at a market stall before becoming a supermodel and marrying a blue-blooded multi-millionaire, and soon there may be more…
Young girls are handpicked by the best-known agency in town. Owner Evgeniya Chkalova, says most hope their looks will lead to Moscow, then onwards to Paris and New York.
“To become super-famous, like Anna, everything has to fall into place. But everyone who can should go for it. After all, you only get one chance.”
One taking the chance is aspiring model, Sasha Milkova, who exudes confidence when talking with RT.
“I am not scared that I won't make it.”
Sasha also knows that the road to supermodel superstardom is a long one, but one she has moved a long way along already.
“I feel self-confident. After all, I've been doing this since I was 13.”
As current role model for thousands of other girls, not even Anna can guarantee that one day Leo will not be tempted by another world-beating beauty.
But whatever happens next, in the eyes of many, she is already living the fantasy life.