Selita Ebanks Biography

Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks entering the Bryant Park tents during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, September 9, 2007. Photograph by Christopher Peterson.
Birth name	Selita Ebanks
Date of birth	February 15, 1983 (1983-02-15) (age 25)
Place of birth	George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Height	5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m)
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Dark Brown
Measurements	(US) 33C-24-34 ; (EU) 84-61-86.5
Weight	122
Dress size	(US) 4 ; (EU) 34
Shoe size	(US) 9 ; (EU) 41
Agency	Women Management

Selita Ebanks (born February 15,¹ 1983) is a Caymanian fashion model. She is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret and is one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

Biography

Early life

Selita Ebanks was born on February 15, 1983 in George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory. She was raised in a large family that includes seven brothers. Influenced by her brothers, Ebanks played many sports growing up, such as basketball, soccer and tennis. The Ebanks family was quite poor, living in what she described as "a little blue, zinc-roof shack on Walkers Road".^{citation needed} Often, Ebanks didn't have shoes to wear to George Town primary school.^{citation needed} Her family, her mother in particular, encouraged her development through extracurricular programs.²

Education

Ebanks moved to the United States, and settled in Staten Island, New York. After moving to New York City she was accepted at Spelman College, Columbia University, and New York University.² However, she graduated from none of these institutions. She had planned to study Law before she started modeling.^{citation needed}

Career

Victoria's Secret Angels Adriana Lima (left), Marisa Miller and Selita Ebanks ride in the Guantanamo Bay Christmas Parade Dec. 1, 2007.

At 17 years old, while walking through the turnstiles at Six Flags Great Adventure, Ebanks was scouted by an agent from Elite Model Management.³⁴ Ebanks worked with some of the world's most noted photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Steven Klein, Carter Smith and Mikael Jansson, and for some of the most quintessential American fashion campaigns, including Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi's and Tommy Hilfiger.

Ebanks is currently working as a model for Victoria's Secret. She had previously done work for their Ipex Bra line, before being signed.⁴ She and fellow up-and-coming model Izabel Goulart made their major début in the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She is now officially one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.⁴ She views Tyra Banks as a mentor.^{citation needed} In 2005, Tyra Banks said she was proud of Ebanks to be representing for black women at Victoria's Secret.⁵

Ebanks made a special guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother (episode: "The Yips") on November 26, 2007 with her fellow Victoria's Secret supermodels (Miranda Kerr, Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, and Alessandra Ambrosio).

She made her first appearance on Sports Illustrated's 2007 Swimsuit Issue.³

She has recorded some music² and appeared on the UPN-series South Beach.

Selita, while promoting Victoria Secret, was booed at Gillette Stadium while at a New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles game in Foxboro for a Victoria's Secret promotion. ⁶⁷

Personal life

Ebanks was engaged to rapper, actor, and comedian Nick Cannon.⁸⁹ On October 4, 2007, People magazine announced that the couple has ended their engagement. She has been linked to tennis player James Blake¹⁰ and Saskatchewan Roughriders football player Tad Kornegay¹¹, and dated defensive lineman for the New York Giants, Osi Umenyiora¹² until May 2008. She has since been seen with rapper Kanye West.¹³

Ebanks also dated her ex-manager Marc Chamberlin.¹⁴

References

External links

• Feb 07 Selita Ebanks Interview at PR.com
• Selita's Who2 profile
• Selita Ebanks in the Fashion Model Directory
• Article on the 2005 Victoria's Secret fashion show, featuring Selita
• Article on Selita's Cayman Stardom Youth Foundation
• Selita Ebanks' Imdb Info
• Selita Ebanks Interview in Complex Magazine, March 2007