Alessandra Ambrosio is part of the brigade of glamazons better known as the Brazilian Invasion, which includes Gisele, Ana, and Adriana.

Born on April 11, 1981, the Erechim native began pursuing her modeling dreams at age 12 when she enrolled in modeling classes. The training paid off: Alessandra won Brazil's Elite Model Look contest and soon landed on the cover of Elle Brasil.

In 2000, Alessandra and her friend Ana Beatriz Barros ushered in the New Year as the seductive faces of the Guess? Millennium campaign. Alessandra's career took off and she was soon representing such brands as Revlon, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, and Gucci. Designers Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, and Oscar de la Renta wanted her to walk their runways.

The brown-eyed beauty's glamour translates across the globe—she has appeared on more than 50 international magazine covers, and in 1996 was the only model to appear on the cover of Glamour. But Alessandra is perhaps best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She first walked in the world-renowned show in 2000, and continues to be one of the best-known Angels. In 2005, Alessandra strutted the catwalk in lingerie made entirely of candy. The lingerie giant loved her so much that it signed her as the first spokesmodel for the Victoria's Secret Pink collection. Like most Angels, Alessandra is considered one of the world's sexiest women, and in 2007 she was among People's 100 Most Beautiful People.

Alessandra is ranked by Forbes as one of the top-earning supermodels. She secured her place on the list thanks to her other savvy business endeavors. In 2004, she launched a swimwear line called Alessandra Ambrosio by Sais, which sold 10,000 units in its first month on the market. The model continues to look to the future, with cameo appearances in hits like HBO's Entourage and the box-office smash Casino Royale.

Although Alessandra's globe-trotting life leaves little spare time, she's committed to her role as the national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The cause is close to her heart because her father has been living with the disease for 15 years.

On August 24, 2008, Alessandra and her boyfriend, Jamie Mazur, welcomed their daughter, Anja Louise, into the world. A true family girl, Alessandra shares her New York apartment with her sister Aline and visits her hometown as often as possible. The well-traveled stunner maintains that Erechim is still the best place on earth. She's from there, so it might just be.