Joanna Krupa

About

Joanna Krupa (born April 23, 1979) is a Polish-born American model, actress, and television presenter. She is the host and head judge of Polish Top Model (2010–present) and has appeared on the US reality television series Dancing with the Stars (2009) and The Real Housewives of Miami (2012–2013).

Krupa was born in Warsaw to father Zbigniew and mother Jolanta. Her father is an electrical engineer and her mother, who is originally from Tarnów, worked as a nurse in Poland. She has a younger sister, Marta, who is also a model. At the age of five, she and her family moved to the United States, settling in Lombard, Illinois. She trained in ballet until the age of nine, and at the age of 13, her mother enrolled her in a modeling school. She graduated from Glenbard East High School in 1997.

At the age of 20, Krupa moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling, also working as a secretary to support herself. She was initially rejected by modeling agencies for her height and weight, however, her breakthrough came when she appeared on the cover of Maxim in the Netherlands. In addition to Maxim, she appeared on covers for Playboy, FHM, Ocean Drive. Inside Sport, Stuff,…