Marina Baker

Her upbringing was unconventional and nomadic. Originally from Taplow, near Slough in Berkshire, she and her older brother Martin moved around frequently. Her family ended up in rural Norfolk, as well as parts of the Midlands and the Southeast, living a hippie lifestyle. In her own words, their new home wasn't ready, so they became travelers until they were housed. She remembers a chrome caravan with lace doilies in the window, a toilet in a shed, and a birthday party in a tent where they played pass the parcel in the rain. Rain, she says, is still her favorite weather.

As a girl, she dreamed of becoming a dancer and prime minister, because she liked the idea of being in charge. After retiring from modeling, she reinvented herself as a journalist and author of children's books, and later entered politics as a local politician, now going by the name Marina Pepper. Her career path, from adult model to public servant, reflects an uncommon versatility in a single lifetime.