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.

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