Beauties that ruled the hearts

  According to 20,000 London-based women, Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful woman of the past century. Following her in the list is Girl’s Aloud pop star Cheryl Cole in second place, and Marilyn Monroe and Angelina Jolie in the third and fourth places respectively.
Now, while the Breakfast at Tiffany’s star is no doubt a classic beauty, Let's have a look at some of the other beauties that ruled the hearts around the globe.

 Madhuri Dixit Nene

 
The woman with a 1000-watt smile is what Madhuri is fondly called. Bollywood’s sweetheart after Hema Malini’s time, Madhuri won hearts of all ages with her killer smile and chirpy character and amazing dancing skills. No other Bollywood star has made such an impact; after all, who else has a movie named after her – Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. 

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

And here one’s a true classic. Wife of American President John F Kennedy, Jackie, as she was fondly called, was the first to bring about style to politics. 

Rajmata Gayatri Devi

  
… and it gets better. Royalty in its truest form, the Rajmata of Jaipur was celebrated for her beauty and her fashion sensibilities. With a queen so radiant, who wouldn’t want to be ruled by her?

Diana, Princess of Wales

 
I have looked up to her and admired everything about since the time I saw her for the first time. Her honesty, generosity and tragic life have been the target point for many. 

Aishwarya Rai

 
A true Miss World, Ash has presented India to the rest of the world in a way no one else could have. With international status to her credit, it is evident Mrs Bachchan Jr has a long way to go yet.

Monica Bellucci

 
Someone please tell me which other 46-year-old actress would agree to grace the cover of a prestigious magazine, WITHOUT make-up. Well, Italian beauty Monica Bellucci is so confident of her flawless beauty, that she agreed pose for the cover of the French Elle magazine sans make-up.

Suchitra Sen

  

This Bengali actress (who later starred in Hindi cinema as well) was known for her soulful eyes and beautiful almond skin. Suchitra was an elusive beauty; so private that she refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement, just so she can stay out of the public eye. Her beauty is now carried over to her granddaughter Raima Sen, who looks like a spitting image of her.Recently, she was hospitalised on account of ill-health.

  
Marilyn Monroe

There are a few “most beautiful” lists in which Marilyn Monroe does not make the top 10, and I don’t intend to make mine of them. A true beauty, her sexiness and sassy character took it to the next level.

  

Glam Girls of Tennis

Game or glamour – what attracts you to women’s tennis? Anna Kournikova has never won a single grand slam in her entire career; still the Russian beauty is famous as any of her counter parts. If you are a passionate tennis fan, Anna won’t be anywhere near your list of favourite players, but there are millions who adore her for her glam quotient. But unlike Anna, the world of tennis has other players who are blessed with talent and looks at the same time. Who’s your #1?

      What’s unique about  Argentine beauty Gabriela Sabatini? Her brunette hair or appealing smile? She took the world by storm when she beat the then world # 1 Steffi Graf in the finals of the 1990 US Open. That was the only Grand Slam crown she’s ever won in her career, but managed to grab a slew of endorsements. Gaby even has her own line of perfume!

      There is no match for Steffi when it comes to grace and genius. She was the true queen of tennis who never got carried away by any distractions. The game always remained her top priority; still the leggy German blonde was hailed for her amazing figure, too.

      

Monica Seles

On popular demand, I’m adding Monica Seles too to the list. Seles was my favourite player! With her pixie hairdo and smile, Monica posed a big challenge to Steffi Graf. At 16, she won the French Open, becoming the youngest ever to win the title. She went on to win 8 Grand Slams in her teens, but her career came to a halt when she got stabbed by a ‘crazy’ fan of Steffi Graf – Gunter Parche. Though her wound wasn’t fatal, it affected her mentally and Seles became a shadow of her old self. However, she made a great comeback winning the Australian Open in 1996.

          Tennis’s original glam girl Chris Evert is often regarded the diva of ’70s. Coupled with brilliance and talent, she has to her credit 18 Grand Slams altogether. Her haircut was immensely copied by women around the world then.

       Sexy, graceful and suave…French lady Mary Pierce had it all! Remember her ‘French braids’? She can also be regarded as a trend-setter. Mary was popular among non-tennis fans too. Back then in the ’90s, photographers never used to miss a chance to get a perfect ‘Mary Pierce’ shot!

     Anna’s name is synonymous with glamour. She was only 16 when she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1997, and took the world by storm with her sex-appeal. She never made it beyond that, but her career took a different course and she got approached by fashion magazines and agencies. Anna has officially retired from tennis but still plays charity matches.

      What Anna lacked, Martina Hingis had. Hingis won several Grand Slams in her teens, but recurring injuries cut short her career. Hingis had great charm and a captivating smile!

       Daniela Hantuchova’s innocent looks and slim figure caught the world’s fancy. She too has never won a Grand Slam in her career, yet has a huge fan following on the tennis court and off it.

      Sania Mirza has fans all around the world. Her marriage might have cut short what seemed to be a promising career on the tennis court, but this Hyderabad lass still has the sub-continent swooning at her feet.

     Unlike her compatriot Anna, Maria has game. Standing tall at 6 ft 4 inches, this lissome lass is a trend-setter when it comes to the game and outfits. She has a best-selling perfume named after her. This leggy blonde once made news when she turned up in a tux on court.

     There are many things that make Ana Ivanovic lovable. Her aggressiveness on court contradicts her stunning looks. She could very well be tennis’s supermodel.

    

Maria Kirilenko

Maria Kirilenko is another promising Russian beauty who is a favourite with photographers. Slender, with an enigmatic smile, she is pretty conscious when it comes to fashion. She was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Need we say more?

Football Wives-Girlfriends and Their Glamourous Lives

Sometimes it’s ok to take your eyes off the field and focus on something colourful instead. Pleasing distractions I say. These soccer (Wives & Girlfriends) WAGs who make their presence felt by being out there supporting their husbands/boyfriends are the cynosure of the camera crew. With World Cup talks in the air, let’s get into some lighter stuff. Being a soccer star is no less than being a prince – you get everything – fame, money and of course beautiful women, making them enviable in all ways. The picture (above) shows model Klara Medkova, wife of Czech football player Radoslav Kovac. She is one of Czech Republic’s top models who graced the cover of Playboy once. Do I need to say more?

Alex Curran

An ex-model, and a fashion columnist for Daily Mirror, Alex Curran is a busy WAG. She is the gorgeous wife of Steven Gerrard. Curran boasts of her own fragrance line named “Alex”! That means Gerrard can take a bottled Alex along with him whenever he is away from his dear wife.

Cheryl Cole

‘Girls Aloud’ singer Cheryl Cole is the ex-wife of English footballer Ashley Cole. Both separated after Ashley cheated on her. Cheryl later filed for a divorce. We don’t really know whether Ashley is missing his dimpled wife, but her absence in the gallery is indeed a big loss.

Abigail Clancy

With a 5 ft 9 inches stature, Abbey Clancy is the on-off girlfriend of the tallest English footballer Peter Crouch (He is 6 ft 7 inches!). She is a lingerie model who was in the limelight during the 2006 WC. Crouch dumped her once by sending a fax after learning that she had cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend. However, both re-united after a while and even got engaged. Crouch might have felt that Abbey is too hot to let go.

Caroline Celico, Kaka

Caroline Celico can be regarded as the luckiest WAG! The love affair of Brazilian star Kaka and Caroline dates back to their childhood. Their love only grew with time with Kaka’s career spanning new heights. She is indeed lucky to have a guy like Kaka who has never been involved in controversies.

Melissa Satta

Meet Melissa Satta – she plays soccer and knows karate too! No wonder former Italian striker Cristian Vieri found her appealing. Melissa, who already was famous for her TV show ‘Strip the News’, got all that extra attention she had been craving after she began dating Vieri.

Cesc Fabregas, Carla (Image: 27.media.tumblr.com)

Carla is the girlfriend of Spanish hunk Cesc Fabregas. Both have kept their affair quite personal, shying away from the public eyes. But even Cesc came under attack for cheating on Carla though it never was confirmed. With Cesc having a huge fan base, Carla would do better to keep a constant check on him.

Wesley Sneijder, Yolanthe Kasbergen

Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen! You are gonna take ages to get this name right. Wonder what Dutchman Wesley Sneijder calls her. Like her name, long is the list of her accolades. She was awarded the FHM Sexiest Woman award twice! Wesley was married to Ramona Streekstra before. He met Yolanthe after he separated with his wife.

Beckham, Victoria

The WAG list will be incomplete without the mention of Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham. Posh’s marriage with Beckham has gone through all the trials and has survived it all. Still, Posh knows that it’s not a wise thing to leave a hunky hubby all alone, and hence she has been accompanying him on his tours (Beckham managed to escape her eyes and was caught twice for cheating). Posh is a real busy bee who has so many other things also to worry about – like maintain her ultra thin figure, fashion designing plus her singing career (the latter two are nothing to write home about, if you know what I mean).