Valery Shaykhlislamov, a coal miner, and a Russian Orthodox Christian mother who converted to Islam due to marriage, gave birth to Shayk, who was raised as a Muslim.
She claims that she got her good looks from her father, who was of darker skin, and claims that people frequently make the mistake of assuming she is of South American descent, saying, “My father was Tatarian, and Tatars often have darker skin than people expect.” My light eyes are passed down to me through my mother. Her sister, Tatiana Petenkova, is her only sibling. Tatiana also has three nieces: one of whom is named “Irina” after her aunt.
Shayk began to play the piano when he was six years old. Her mother wanted her to study music, so she enrolled in a music school at the age of nine and stayed there for seven years, both playing the piano and singing in the choir.
Her father’s untimely death left the family penniless, and thus forced her mother to work two jobs just to make ends meet.
Shayk went to beauty school with her older sister instead of pursuing a career in marketing after high school. As a result, she attracted the attention of a model scout from a local agency, who was impressed by her beauty. She was persuaded to enter the “Miss Chelyabinsk Beauty Contest” and went on to describe it as the basest beauty contest imaginable.
