Renée Simonsen facts for kids

Renée Toft Simonsen (born May 12, 1965) is a famous Danish writer and a former supermodel. She was one of the most successful models in the world during the 1980s.

From Supermarket to Supermodel

Renée was born in Aarhus, Denmark. Before she became famous, she worked as a cashier in a supermarket. Her amazing potential for modeling was soon noticed.

In 1981, a fashion editor named Birte Strandgaard saw her and encouraged photographer Leif Nygaard to take some pictures. Renée then joined the Ekstra Bladet Contest and won second place. In July 1981, she appeared on the cover of the Danish magazine Fotokino.

The next year, she won the Ekstra Bladet Contest. She was chosen to represent Denmark at the Ford Supermodel contest, which she also won in August 1982. In April 1983, she was featured in the American edition of Vogue. She later appeared on four more American Vogue covers.

From 1983 onwards, Renée became one of the fastest-rising stars in the modeling world. She was featured on the covers of many international fashion magazines. For example, she was the cover girl for the German Vogue in March, April, and September of that year. She also appeared on the cover of Roxy Music's Atlantic Years album in 1983.

Renée was the face of popular makeup brands like Clarins and Maybelline. She also modeled for Covergirl and Lancel luggage. She even appeared in a swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.

Acting and New Paths

From 1985 to 1989, Renée dated John Taylor, the bass player from the British band Duran Duran. They were even engaged to be married.

In 1985, Renée also started acting. She appeared in the movie Sotto il vestito niente (which means Nothing Underneath in America). In this film, she played one of several models in Milan. In 1987, she worked in another comedy movie called Via Montenapoleone.

In 1988, Renée decided to take a break from fashion. Before she and John Taylor broke up in 1989, she lived for four months in a kibbutz (a special community) in Israel with her sister Heidi. Even though she was offered a chance to try out for a role as a Bond Girl in a James Bond film, Renée decided to end her modeling career the next year. She returned to Denmark to study journalism. After not passing the test for journalism, she decided to study psychology instead.

In 1991, she started modeling again, specifically for Vichy cosmetics. In 1993, Renée became the face of Biotherm cosmetics.

Family Life and Writing Career

Renée has three children. Her two older children, Ulrikke (born in 1993) and Jens-Kristian (born in 1995), are from a relationship with Kristian Sandvad. Ulrikke is now a successful model herself. Her youngest child, Hugo, is with her husband, Thomas Helmig.

In 1997, Renée worked as a fashion editor for a Danish magazine called Asschenfeldts Magasin. That summer, she started a relationship with Danish rock singer Thomas Helmig. They got married in August 2000.

In 2002, Renée finished her degree in psychology. In 2003, she signed a contract with the French cosmetic company Clarins again. She started appearing in magazine ads for skincare products for grown-ups.

In October 2003, Renée published her first children's book, called Karlas kabale. In 2006, her children's book Anthony Greenwood was nominated for a Danish book prize. She also received an award for her social work with Plan Denmark.

In August 2007, Renée released her first novel for adults, called Tirsdag formiddag (Tuesday Morning). She wrote another adult novel, Dømt til Frihed (Sentenced to Freedom), in 2010.

In October 2014, a book about Renée's life was published in Denmark. Renée herself wrote the book with journalist Andreas Fugl Thøgersen. Many other people, like Eileen Ford, John Taylor, her family, and her husband Thomas Helmig, also shared their stories for the book.

Renée continues to write a weekly column in the Danish "Femina" magazine.

Filmography

• Nothing Underneath (1985)
• Via Montenapoleone (1987)