Noémie Lenoir

Biography

Noémie Lenoir (born 19 September 1979) is a French model and actress. She is known for her work with Gucci, L'Oréal, Next, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, Balmain Paris Hair Couture and Marks and Spencer.

== Early life ==

Lenoir was born in Les Ulis, Essonne, France. Her mother is a cleaning lady and comes from the French island of Réunion. Her father is a Frenchman from mainland France and an electrician. When she was 17, Lenoir was spotted by the Ford modelling agency and began modelling in New York.

== 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 TV adverts, magazines and billboards alongside fellow models Erin O'Connor, 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)". She is represented by Models 1.

== Personal life ==

After a relationship with rapper Stomy Bugsy, she lived with international football player Claude Makélélé. They have a son. The couple split in early 2009. Lenoir gave birth to a daughter in August 2015.

=== Suicide attempt === On 9 May 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 taken 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 had 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, Tom Nicon, Hayley Kohle, and Ruslana Korshunova.

== Television == Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 6 – (1 episode, 19 July 2010) Danse avec les stars - contestant (2013) She hosted a show on Trace TV for two years. She appears in all three Marks and Spencer Christmas TV adverts for 2009, broadcast in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.