About
Fernanda Motta is a Brazilian model, actress, and television personality whose easy confidence on the runway carried straight into prime-time television. Born on May 29, 1981, in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, she burst onto the international fashion scene in the early 2000s, gracing covers of Vogue, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour while fronting campaigns for luxury labels such as Chanel and Moët & Chandon. Her sun-kissed look and laid-back charm earned her four appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and a place on Models.com’s “Top 25 Sexiest Models” list in 2005. In 2007, she slid effortlessly from catwalk to camera as host of Brazil’s Next Top Model, later popping up as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12. Even after two decades in fashion, Motta continues to headline ads—most recently starring in Luz da Lua’s ELEMENTS Winter 2025 campaign—showing that Brazilian radiance never goes out of style.
Before Fame
Motta’s childhood in coastal Brazil was anything but glamorous: she was the youngest of a big family that often piled into a single room during summer heatwaves. A beach day at age 16 changed everything. While relaxing on Guarapari Beach, a talent scout noticed her striking blue eyes and confident posture and invited her to try modeling. Within a year, she had signed with Elite Model Management in New York and Chic Management in Sydney, trading school notebooks for boarding passes and photo shoots. By 20, she was shuttling between continents, mastering English on flights and learning industry etiquette from seasoned photographers instead of textbooks. Those early experiences—navigating airports alone, adapting to different cultures, and negotiating contracts in a second language—built the resilience that later helped her juggle television hosting, acting gigs, and brand ambassadorships with apparent ease.
Trivia
- Swimsuit alumna: Motta appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue four times between 2002 and 2007, posing everywhere from Barbados reefs to the Arizona desert.
- Quick screen turns: She slipped into acting with cameos in the sitcom Yes, Dear (2005) and the Brazilian telenovela Totalmente Demais (2015), proving she could trade the runway strut for comedic timing when needed.
- Charity regular: Off-camera, she lends her profile to the BrazilFoundation and ONEXONE galas, helping raise millions of dollars for education and healthcare projects in her home country.
- Top of the ranks: At age 24, she hit No. 19 on Models.com’s “Sexiest” index—high praise in an era dominated by supermodels like Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio.
- Still walking: Far from slowing down, she returned to center stage in 2025 for Luz da Lua’s ELEMENTS collection, sharing behind-the-scenes clips with her 1-million-plus Instagram followers.
Family Life
Despite an international career, Motta keeps strong ties to her roots. She often recounts childhood stories of playing soccer on dusty streets with six older siblings and calling everyone back to the dinner table with the smell of her mother’s feijão bubbling on the stove. Adult life brought new roles. Her long-term partnership with businessman Roger Rodrigues produced a daughter, Chloe, now in middle school; although the couple later separated, they co-parent amicably, splitting school runs between Rio and New York. Motta marks birthdays with heartfelt Instagram notes—in May 2025, she thanked “Deus” for turning 44 and for the “care and incomparable love” of her family and friends. Between shoots, she retreats to her farm outside Rio, where she tends fruit trees and finds the grounding she once sought in crowded airports.
Associated With
Tyra Banks’ global Next Top Model franchise brought Motta to television, but she quickly forged friendships with fashion insiders like Jay Manuel and photographer Russell James during filming. On the Brazilian fashion circuit, she often shares runways with Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima—trailblazers who, like Motta, exported the warm, beach-grown confidence of Brazil to the world stage. Her SI Swimsuit years put her alongside icons such as Heidi Klum and Brooklyn Decker, while luxury campaigns linked her to creatives at Chanel and Gucci. These collaborations formed a tight network that still calls on Motta for charity galas, brand launches, and mentor roles for young Brazilian talents hoping to follow in her footsteps.
