Born Eleanor Nancy Gow in Sydney, Australia on March 29, 1964 – she changed her name to Macpherson when her mother remarried soon after Elle's 14th birthday.

She gained a place at Sydney University to study pre-law but left after a year when she was spotted by a modelling scout while on vacation in Aspen. It was to be the start of an extremely lucrative career.

Elle was the covergirl for the prestigious swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated three years in a row, and her magazine namesake was so taken with her statuesque beauty that she was featured in its pages every month for six years.

Not just a pretty face, Elle also has a reputation as a shrewd businesswoman. Her Australian lingerie business, Elle Macpherson Intimates, is worth around $10 million and she is on record as saying that she prefers the marketing and business side of fashion to its fluffy, frock-tastic face.

In 1990 she branched out into acting, first appearing on the silver screen in Woody Allen's Alice. Perhaps her most famous role was that of Sheela in the Australian film Sirens, for which she put on 20lb to play the part of a nude artist's model. Since then she has appeared in the TV series Friends, and starred opposite George Clooney in Batman and Robin. She has also released her own fitness video.