In terms of success and drive, I think some people are born with it, sometimes certain circumstances push you towards success... trying to prove people wrong. I'm not exactly sure where mine comes from, but, I have this thing inside of me that, when someone tells me that I can't do something, I become obsessed with proving them wrong. It's a weird thing.

Smiles come naturally to me, but I started thinking of them as an art form at my command. I studied all the time. I looked at magazines, I'd practice in front of the mirror and I'd ask photographers about the best angles. I can now pull out a smile at will.

As my mom wiped the tears from my face, she said, 'Tyra, you know what we’re going to do about this? We’re going to go eat pizza.' We sat in a tiny pizzeria in Milan and strategized about how to turn my curves into a curveball. In a way, it was my decision not to starve myself that turned me into a supermodel, and later on, a businesswoman.

Because my hands are rough and wrinkley, they are my least favourite feature. An ex-boyfriend used to call them 'Freddy Kreuger' fingers.

I had had an extroverted personality with a lot of friends, but when I lost the weight and grew so tall, I withdrew within myself.

Black women don't have the same body image problems as white women. They are proud of their bodies.

Girls of all kinds can be beautiful; from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned