But despite the hardships she faced in her childhood, Sophie turned out to be a fairly well-adjusted individual, and as she reached womanhood, she decided that the world of writing and acting was for her.

In an ironic twist however, Sophie was spotted by a lady named Isabella Blow, who at the time was a stylist for Vogue magazine. The story goes that Isabella had just had an arguament with her mum, and Sophie crossed paths with her when she ran out on the street in a huff.

Next thing you know, Isabella's anger is replaced by awe when she sees Sophie walking along, and after introducing herself, Isabella helped Sophie sign a contract with Storm, an agency in London.

But Sophie Dahl's indoctrination to the world of fashion wasn't what you'd term smooth...

Sophie DahlAn initial shoot with Vogue magazine saw her donning a Gianfranco Ferré outfit, but the clothes weren't exactly suited to fit her fram, and in the end the ensemble had to be pinned together to stay on.

Her size became an issue with many in the industry, which is a grand shame and shows just how obsessed it was (and still is) with unachievable body sizes.

But Sophie rose above this issue, and many of her subsequent shoots were done in the nuddy, sans vetements, naked, starkers - you get the picture.

For instance, she appeared in the world-famous Pirelli calendar in 1999 - naked. She also starred in the infamous print advertisement for Opium perfume - naked. Call it ingenuity, or just adapting to ones environs - Sophie is a real trooper.

The Opium ad was slammed by many in Britain, which actually helped increase her profile in the fashion world, and in the end the ad was pulled by owner Yves Saint Laurent.

Sophie has courted a number of superstars to boot, including the likes of Griffin Dunne, an indy actor/director most famous for his role in Martin Scorsese's 1985 comedy After Hours. She also had a short-term relationship with Rolling Stones head man, Mick Jagger.

Today Sophie doesn't model as much as she used to and instead has turned to writing, like her famous grandpa, and we reckon that whatever she turns her mind to, she'll do well.

by Sara Templeton