ELLE goes back a long way with the talented Ms Pinto. In fact, she did her first editorial feature with us way back in January 2006. I am embarrassed to say that it was not our best effort. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong and in spite of all our attempts the end result was not great. It was a frustrating, long day and tempers were frayed. What stood out in my mind though was the professionalism of the two rookie models. They were patient, motivated and willing to go that extra mile. Today one of them is a top model and the other – our cover girl – is an international star.

But when she first started out I don’t think anyone could have predicted her rapid rise to success. Yes, she is beautiful. Hard- working. Determined. And yes, with her debut Slumdog Millionaire, her career was fast-tracked. What makes Freida so unique is that she recognised the opportunity that was presented to her and made the most of it. In a most sensible manner. At this February 2010 photo shoot – when everything went right as you can see –

she was grace personified. But still really, really hard-working. We love Freida Pinto because she is a dream to work with.

Speaking of success stories, when you say the name Elizabeth Gilbert the words Eat+Pray+Love come to mind. A best-selling author of epic proportions, we pay tribute to the writer by dedicating a section of the magazine to these three concepts. We also bring you an exclusive interview with Ms Gilbert as she talks about her next book, Committed: A Sceptic Makes Peace with Marriage.

The fashion and beauty sections are, as usual, your first looks at the trends to follow. From the It bag to the right shoe, we make it easy for you to shop smart. Our top 20 beauty trends allow you to look gorgeous with goddess hair or banish age lines with stem cell technology. The best part of our style pages is the choice we offer. Choose what suits you. Make it work for you. You are your very own leading light.