Rachel Hunter (born 8 September 1969) is a New Zealand model, actress, and the host of Imagination Television's Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar. She has been on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue twice: in 1994 (alongside Kathy Ireland and Elle Macpherson) and in 2006 (alongside six other models).
Early life Hunter was born on 9 September 1969 in Glenfield, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, and educated at Glenfield College. Her parents divorced when she was still a child. As a child she wanted to be a ballet dancer, but at 13 became ill with toxoplasmosis, which curtailed her dancing ambitions.
Career
Modeling Hunter began her career at age 16, modelling in France, Australia and New Zealand, appearing in Australian Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Australian Cosmopolitan and for various campaigns throughout New Zealand and Australia. She became the face of Tip Top Ice-Cream in New Zealand and was the "Trumpet Girl". She was quickly signed up to Ford Models and immediately embarked on a successful career, landing a Cover Girl cosmetics contract and becoming the spokesperson for the company for several years. Hunter rose to global prominence after posing as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model in 1989. She subsequently appeared on magazine covers, including Cosmopolitan and on the 1994 "Dream Team" cover of Sports Illustrateds annual swimsuit issue with other supermodels Elle MacPherson and Kathy Ireland, and again graced its cover, this time solo, 12 years later in 2006. Hunter also appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia, Australian Vogue, American and international editions of Elle and Dutch Harper's Bazaar.
Hunter posed nude for a cover-featured Playboy pictorial published in April 2004.
Hunter is signed to Ford Models in New York, Select Model Management in London, and Chadwick Models in Sydney.
Acting Hunter first appeared on television in 1985 in an advertisement for the New Zealand ice cream brand Tip Top, promoting their "Trumpet" ice-cream.
Hunter guest starred in a 1997 episode of The Drew Carey Show as herself. She has appeared in several independent films, including 1999's A Walk in the Park and 2000's Two Shades of Blue, an erotic thriller with Marlee Matlin. She stars as a lesbian cook doling out relationship advice in the award-winning indie film La Cucina. She had a brief appearance as a sexy mother in Dennis Dugan's The Benchwarmers (2006) and also played a sultry, bikini-clad mother in the music video for Fountains of Wayne's 2003 song "Stacy's Mom".
Hunter was one of six celebrities in the inaugural cast of the American dance competition series Dancing with the Stars in 2005. She appeared on a 2005 celebrity episode of Lingo, where she and her partner Trista Rehn split $30,000 for charity. Hunter is an ambassador to The Born Free Foundation, and established the Rachel Hunter Lowland Gorilla Fund. Hunter also appeared as herself in the 2004 Christmas Special of The Vicar of Dibley. She also starred in Confessions of a Go-Go Girl (2008), The Perfect Assistant (2008), the science fiction TV movies Piranhaconda (2011) and Swamp Volcano, aka Miami Magma (2012).
She appeared as a judge on New Zealand's Got Talent from 2012 to 2013. In 2015, Hunter fronted her own television series titled Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty for TV One where she travelled the world to discover what beauty meant in various countries.
Personal life
In the late 1980s, Hunter was in a relationship with rock musician Kip Winger.
At the age of 21, Hunter met rock star Rod Stewart, 24 years her senior, in a Los Angeles nightclub. They married three months later at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills, California, on 15 December 1990. Together they have two children. Stewart and Hunter separated in January 1999 after eight years of marriage, and their divorce was finalised on 2 November 2006.
She had a year-long relationship with Canadian NHL ice hockey player Sean Avery in 2004, and in 2006 began a three-year relationship with Jarret Stoll, 13 years her junior, also a Canadian NHL player who played for, and won the Stanley Cup with, the Los Angeles Kings. Stoll proposed to Hunter in 2008 whilst he accompanied her on a trip home to her native New Zealand later that year and they were due to marry on 14 August 2009, but the wedding was called off by Stoll seven weeks prior to their wedding day.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1998Just a Little Harmless SexMarilyn1999Two Shades of BlueSusan Price1999Winding RoadsKelly Simons1999A Walk in the ParkSally's sister2000TripfallGina Williams2001MacArthur ParkKaren2001PendulumAmanda Reeve2001Boys KlubThe Goddess2001Rock StarA.C.'s Wife2002Redemption of the GhostGloria2003Haunted LighthouseRich Widow FeeneyShort film2004El padrinoNewscaster2005You and Your Stupid MateKaren2005FreezerburnHolly Hardin2006Final MoveIris Quarrie2006I.R.A.: King of NothingBritish Intelligence Agent2006The BenchwarmersHot Mother2006OzzieBeth Morton2007Dead WriteJadealso Associate Producer2007Mexican AmericanJacquelineDirect-to-Video20077-10 SplitChiropracter2007La cucinaJude2009Jordon Saffron: Taste This!Nikki2010The Brazen BullDetective Vinyec2010Black WidowDr. Laura2011 Miami magma2011A Matter of JusticeNicole Ibiza2013The Banksters, Madoff with AmericaMimi Mymen2014Soul MatesCarly
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1991Ford Super Model of the WorldHerself (host)Television Special1993Bobby's WorldMs. Miller (voice role)Episode: "Bobby Ties the Knot"1995Mad About YouHerselftelevision debutEpisode: "Just My Dog"1997The Drew Carey ShowHerselfEpisode: "Cap-Beer-Cino"1999Suddenly SusanMeegan GarrityEpisode: "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut"2000Best ActressFiona CovingtonTelevision Movie2003MTV CribsHerselfEpisode: "Rachel Hunter/Shannon Elizabeth/Sam Madison"2003Are You Hot?Herself (co-host)2004The Vicar of DibleyHerselfEpisode: "Merry Christmas"2005LarvaHayley AndersonTelevision Movie2005Dancing with the StarsHerself (contestant)Reality series; 5 episodes2006Style Me with Rachel HunterHerself (judge)Reality series; 8 episodes2006Make Me a SupermodelHerselfReality series; 6 episodes2006Celebrity Paranormal ProjectHerselfReality series; 8 episodes2008The Perfect AssistantJudith ManionTelevision Movie2008Confessions of a Go-Go GirlDonna MercerTelevision Movie2008–2010She's Got the LookHerself (Guest judge)14 episodes2010GravityShawna Rollinsseries regular; 10 episodes201010 Things I Hate About YouHerselfEpisode: "Too Much Information"2011Miami MagmaAntoinette VitriniTelevision Movie2012PiranhacondaTaliaTelevision Movie2012New Zealand's Got TalentHerselfReality series2012RuPaul's Drag Race All StarsHerself (Guest Judge)Episode: "It Takes Two"2015Her InfidelityLily HelmsTelevision Movie2016FabLifeHerself (Co-Hostess)Episode: "Beauty Secrets Spectacular with Supermodel Rachel Hunter"2016Hollywood MediumHerselfEpisode: "Corey Feldman/Rachel Hunter/Evelyn Lozada"2017The Women Behind The Women: Behind Steel DragonWifeTelevision Movie2023RuPaul's Drag Race Down UnderHerself (Guest Judge)Episode: "BMX Bitches"
Music videos YearTitleRoleNotes1991"Broken Arrow" by Rod StewartWomanDirected by Peter Nydrie2003"Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of WayneStacy's MomDirected by Chris Applebaum2006"Mojo" by Peeping TomWomanCreated by Matt McDermitt
Dancing with the Stars Week # Dance / Song Judge's scores Result Inaba Goodman Tonioli 1 Waltz / "Three Times a Lady" 7 6 7 No elimination 2 Rumba / "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" 8 8 8 Bottom two 3 Tango / "Toxic" 8 9 9 Safe 4 Samba / "Tequila" 7 9 9 Eliminated Group Viennese Waltz / "I Got You Babe" No scores given
References
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