There aren't many models that come from Portugal, so when 24-year-old Portuguese model Sara Sampaio found out that she had been signed on as a Victoria's Secret model, she really couldn't believe that all of her dreams were finally coming true. It took a lot of hard work, effort and patience to get to that point in her career, but it was all worth it to her especially considering the way things have shaped up for her in 2015. This was the third year Sampaio walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but it was the first year she had done it as an official Angel, which is the highest accomplishment for VS models.
The green-eyed beauty has graced the cover of several magazines and done countless numbers of sexy photo shoots, so here are five things you need to know about the brunette bombshell before the VS Fashion Show airs on CBS Dec. 8!
1. She was discovered at 15
She entered a Portuguese modeling contest at 15 and they instantly realized she had potential, but thought she was way too young, so they told her to come back the following year, she recalled in a YouTube interview. When she came back to the same contest at 16, she won and was signed by a Portuguese agency and "that's how it all happened," she said. "This little contest."
2. She auditioned for the VS Fashion Show three times
Since her dream was to become a Victoria's Secret model, and hopefully one day become an Angel, she knew these were the auditions she had to nail. When she first auditioned for the fashion show, she admitted that she wasn't really prepared and that she "totally blew it." The only good thing about it was that it didn't discourage her to come back the next year to try again, and this time, she knew what to expect.
"My second year, I really thought I was going to get it. And I didn't, and that broke my heart," she explained. "So I worked very, very, very hard for my third try and I didn't want to give them any excuse not to book me. I made sure my body was on point, I worked on my walk, I left all my insecurities at the door and I literally just went for it. And I think it went well, 'cause I got the show that year."
"I really couldn't believe it," she said of finding out she got the VS Angel contract. "I come from Portugal and there's not a lot of models that come from Portugal. In the beginning, there's a lot of people telling you, 'You'll never do this, you'll never do that.' And it's always been one of my goals that I want to work for Victoria's Secret, I want to be a Victoria's Secret Angel. And I made it. I did it."
3. She made history in Sports Illustrated Magazine
In 2014, Sampaio was named the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's Rookie of the Year, which made her the first-ever Portuguese model to appear in the issue. "Thank you so much for voting for me for Rookie of the Year. I'm so happy," she said in a video on the website in which she poses in several sexy and revealing swimsuits. "Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart."
4. She loves pizza and is proud of it
While eating healthy is important for a VS Angel, she admits she's "very lucky with [her] genetics and metabolism," she told Vogue. "I don't restrict myself from any food in my diet; I think it's all about balance." As for exactly what her ideal food day is, "I would start my day with pancakes," she said. "For lunch, I might eat a salad with chicken, and a mid-afternoon snack would be a banana or some cookies. For dinner, maybe Margherita pizza."
When Vogue spent the day with Sampaio prior to this year's VS Fashion show, she was a little upset that she couldn't be indulging in her typical favorites. Instead, she was forced to eat a late breakfast at The Mercer in Soho which consisted of two sunny-side up eggs, green juice, avocado toast sans toast, and a bowl of strawberries. "It's like torture," she said. "I usually eat a lot of pizza."
While she may love to indulge more often than not, there's a reason she still looks so incredible in lingerie. "I try to work out two to three times a week," she told Hello Magazine. "I do a Physique 57 class, followed by a ModelFit class and end my week of workouts with my personal trainer. If I do a fourth day I like to run on my own. I like bringing a friend with me so we can help push one another. I also mix up my workouts so I don't get bored. I like to do a mix of running, Pilates, working out with a trainer, etc."
Last year, she even took to Instagram to slam body shaming bullies who said she had the perfect bodies. "I eat a lot, so next time u decide to tell me to eat a burger remember I probably eat more burgers than you, I've always been skinnier and probably will always be, I workout, I'm healthy, I'm happy!" she wrote, as HNGN previously reported. "U don't see us shaming other types of bodies so please don't come and shame ours! Be happy with ur body and stop shaming others. Whether they are skinny, fat, fit, with big boobs, small boobs etc! Don't share hate! Be happy!"
5. She was in a Selena Gomez video
On Dec. 1, Victoria's Secret released a video of the VS Angels helping Selena Gomez, who performed at the fashion show, lip syncing her new hit song "Hands to Myself," and Sampaio is one of the beauties in the fun-filled video. "Finally got to be a popstar minus the singing," she captioned a clip from the video. "Don't miss tomorrow the other @victoriassecret angels, @selenagomez and I lip-sync to #handstomyself."