She is one of the world’s best known models with multimillion pound contracts and an instantly recognisable face which has graced the catwalks around the world.
But for Natalia Vodianova, 36, known in the fashion world as Supernova, there is no forgetting her humble roots here in the World Cup city of Nizhny Novgorod, where England triumphed over Panama.
Every day at her mother’s tiny fifth floor flat, the phone will ring and it will be the supermodel calling from glamorous places like Paris, New York or Milan, keeping a loving eye on her mother, grandmother and the autistic sister she adores.
Her proud mother Larisa Kusakina, 56, and grandmother also called Larisa, aged 88, have told of the early struggles of Natalia, who they affectionally call Natasha.
Supermodel Natalia Vodianova, 36, one of the world’s best-paid models, is ambassador for her native city of Nizhny Novgorod for the World Cup and seen as a poster girl for the tournament
Her mother Larisa Kusakina, 56, told MailOnline how the model – known as Supernova – grew up in poverty helping raise her younger sister Oksana, who suffers from cerebral palsy
Natalia, a mother-of-five, has remained close to her 88-year-old grandmother (pictured) also called Larisa, despite leaving Russia aged 17 to chase her dreams of modelling
Larisa, pictured with two of her daughters Oksana (left) and Natalia (right) told MailOnline that the model has invited her to live with her in Paris but she prefers to stay in her home in Russia
Home for Natalia’s mother, sister and grandmother is this tiny fifth floor flat in Nizhny Novgorod – the city where Supernova was born in 1982 and sold fruit from a barrow with Larisa
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, they have also provided a rare insight on how she is determined never to let the bright lights of the fashion world, her wealth and global fame turn her away from her background.
Sitting in their modest apartment in the rundown district of Avtozavodsky, her mother said: ‘Fortunately, Natalia has no superiority complex. She has remained a loving person and is always ready to help. She is not arrogant and despite all the success and fame, she still has got much love in her heart.
‘There were so many friends and relatives in need and she never said no.
‘I believe that success came to her because she is immensely hard-working. She achieved it solely on her own, without any nepotism.’
The woman who gave birth to the future catwalk queen at the age of 20 said Natalia grew up very quickly from the age of six when her sister Oksana, who suffers cerebral palsy and autism, was born.
‘Maybe Natalia’s success is a gift from above, because she alone took care of her disabled sister Oksana. Natasha was always there for Oksana. From the age of six she knew how to look after a child.’
Larisa divorced her husband and has since re-married and had a third daughter Kristina, but she said the cornerstone of their fight for survival in impoverished conditions was the girl who would grow up to become a super star.
‘I could leave the sisters to go to work, being sure that Natasha would do all the cooking and washing, as well as take care of the child.
‘And I think that her love and hard work became the basis, which still helps her keep up.
Natalia’s mum said despite her international background, having married an English man and now with a French man, her daughter is supporting her country to lift the trophy in Moscow
Natalia, pictured with three of her five children, is excited by her country’s showing in the World Cup so far, her mother Larisa says. She added: ‘We talked about the World Cup yesterday. She is amazed by the results of the Russian team’
Natalia, has used her global fame to help promote the World Cup, left and right
‘Her friends would often mock her because of the disabled sister. They wouldn’t want Oksana to hang out with them and Natasha would say ‘We either go together or we don’t go at all’. You see a boomerang …everything returns to you.’
The big sister left home when she reached 17 to pursue her dreams having seen her father walk out and being forced to sell berries from a barrow in freezing local markets to help her family.
‘When she first left Russia at 17 she could not even speak English, and the modelling agency did not provide interpreters. She used to attend drama classes as a child, so she always knew how to present herself.
‘But Natasha never finished school. She didn’t take her exams, so she has no high-school diploma. But we are proud of her. For me she is not a famous woman, not a star, but my daughter. I am overwhelmed with pride.
‘In fact, knowing how hard-working and persistent she is, I understand how she has become so successful. When she has a goal, she strives for it and she never gives up.’
Bidding her eldest daughter farewell as she took a plane from her hometown which was known as Gorky under Soviet Rule, she said she could never have dreamed her daughter would find world-wide fame.
‘I had no idea that she would become so famous. When she was leaving, I knew that it was the beginning of something big, but not that big.’
Larisa’s home has an old 1990’s-style TV and few mod cons in the kitchen, where a cupboard door is hanging from its hinges.
On entering, the only clue that this is a family which has travelled is a fridge magnet of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where Larisa visits her daughter twice a year.
Mummy’s girl: Natalia’s is close to her mother, Larisa, pictured. They talk on the phone every day and meet up at least twice a year either in Russia or elsewhere depending on her schedule
Larisa, pictured with Natalia’s grandmother also Larisa said: ‘Unfortunately, we don’t see each other often, because I can’t leave Oksana. We meet about two times a year.
Natalia’s grandmother Larisa, pictured, gets to see her granddaughter more often as she goes to stay with her for several months at a time in Paris. Larisa added: She added: ‘I visit her regularly and she is an extraordinary person. I say this not just because I am her grandmother’
She said: ‘Unfortunately, we don’t see each other often, because I can’t leave Oksana. We meet about two times a year.
‘We talk on the phone every day. Usually, we meet in Moscow or somewhere abroad. However, her grandmother travels more frequently. She flies to Paris a lot and stays there for a month or two.’
Her beaming grandmother said the model is always respectful and courteous and has not had her head turned by the star-status afforded her.
She added: ‘I visit her regularly and she is an extraordinary person. I say this not just because I am her grandmother.
‘Her children are incredible too. Her eldest son Lucas always accompanies his mother. Her daughter Neva attends ballet classes. And her husband Antoine is also very nice. They dine together traditionally and the children are always engaged in the conversation.
‘I really enjoy visiting them and my husband Viktor, who passed away 5 years ago, loved it too.
The model has five children; three with Justin Portman, 39, who is half-brother of the Viscount Portman, who she married in November 2001 and split from in 2011.
She later began a relationship with Antoine Arnault, the CEO of mens’ clothing brand Berluti. They have two sons Maxim, four, and two-year-old Roman.
The catwalk queen is also an ambassador for the World Cup where four matches are being played in her city, including Sunday’s match which saw England thrash Panama 6-1.
Family time: The model has five children; three with Justin Portman, 39, who is half-brother of the Viscount Portman, and two sons from her current relationship with Antoine Arnault (pictured) CEO of mens’ clothing brand Berluti
But her mother said, despite her international background, marriage to a member of the English aristocracy and relationship with a French man, there was no doubt who her daughter was supporting to lift the trophy in Moscow in July.
‘I think Natasha will support Russia. She always does. I am not sure though.
‘Maybe she will also support France now, or maybe England. You know, three of her children are English, two are French, and she is a Russian, that is why it’s hard to tell.
‘We talked about the World Cup yesterday. She is amazed by the results of the Russian team.
She added: ‘There is a joke among Nizhny citizens, that we must thank god for the World Cup, as our city has finally been modernised.
‘The area around the stadium used to be a horrible place. Now, I often go there to visit my friend, and when I first saw it I didn’t recognise it.
‘In our district now, most of the roads have been repaired. The government promised to fix the entire street. Many places were planted with trees.’