Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl is an English fashion model and author. Her mother is writer Tessa Dahl (daughter of the children's author Roald Dahl and the actress Patricia Neal) and her father is actor Julian Holloway (son of actor Stanley Holloway).

Dahl was discovered by Isabella Blow on a London street at the age of 18. At a voluptuous dress size and 38DD bra-size, Dahl defied the stick-thin modelling status quo; she is largely known for being a plus-size model, although she has since lost weight and is now of similar proportions to other fashion models. Her best-known work was a magazine and poster advertisement for an Yves Saint Laurent perfume called Opium, showing her lying naked on a black velvet sheet. There were many complaints about the advertisement, resulting in its being removed from billboards in the UK, and totally banned in France.

As a child, Dahl was the inspiration for the character Sophie (the giant's helper) in her grandfather Roald Dahl's The BFG. Later she became an author herself, writing several short stories and in 2003 publishing the novella The Man with the Dancing Eyes, an "adult fairy-tale". In 2007, she published her first full-length work of fiction, a semi-autobiographical novel entitled Playing with the Grown-ups.

She recently performed in Childrens Party At The Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday, and also appears on the cover of the November 2007 issue of UK Vogue.