************* TYRA BANKS **************

Tyra Lynne Banks is an American actress, television producer, author, television personality and former model. Wikipedia

Born: December 4, 1973 (age 39), Inglewood, California, United States

Height: 1.78 m

Parents: Carolyn London, Donald Banks

Education: Harvard Business School (2011)

Siblings: Devin Banks

Early life
Tyra Banks was born in California. She is the daughter of Caroline London; now London-Johnson a NASA photographer,^[9] and Donald Banks, a computer consultant.^[4][10] She has a brother, Devin, who is five years older.^[11] In 1979, when Banks was 6 years old, her parents divorced. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. As a child Tyra Banks suffered from what she calls an "Ugly duckling" period in her life; when Banks was eleven years old she grew three inches and lost thirty pounds in three months.

Personal life
Banks was romantically linked to musician Seal, film director John Singleton^[47] and actor Will Smith in the 1990s.^[48] She dated basketball player Chris Webber from 2001 to 2004.^[47][49]
She is known for being outspoken on abusive relationships, having been a victim herself. In 2005, when asked about her relationship history, she stated, 'I won't be using a lot of names [on the show], but a specific relationship had not just cheating but emotional abuse. It was really bad, but that made me strong.'^[50] In 2009, she opened up about her past abusive relationship when she made a guest appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, hosting alongside Oprah Winfrey. The episode was dedicated to dating violence in response to the assault of Rihanna caused by Chris Brown.^[51][52][53]

                                                                      

Modeling
When Banks was 15 years old, she started modeling while attending school in Los Angeles. She was rejected by six modeling agencies before she was signed by L.A. Models and then switched to Elite Model Management at age 16. When she got the opportunity to model in Europe, she put college on hold and moved to Milan. In her first runway season, she was booked in 25 shows at the 1991 Paris Fashion Week. She would later appear on the covers of magazines such as Elle, Teen Vogue and Vogue. She walked the runways for Chanel, Valentino, Fendi and others. She has featured in advertising campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren and Nike.^[12] In the mid-1990s, Banks returned to America to do more commercial modeling. Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.^[13] In 1997, she received the VH1 award for, "Supermodel of the Year."^[8] That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog.^[14] She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005.^[15] In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models.^[16] Banks is now a contributor of the Vogue Italia website.^[17]She has since started focusing on her film career and hosting her own TV show.