Celebs under pressure

Czech model Petra Nemcova says she struggled to stay thin to keep career going

New York: Petra Nemcova knows what it is like to struggle to stay thin and continue modelling.
“I'm naturally more curvy, so I always had to lose weight,” the 27-year-old Czech supermodel says in People magazine's October issue. “I took laxatives. I went through all of it just to be able to model.” Nemcova would not have faced that problem at this year's Madrid Fashion Week, where models deemed too skinny were banned from the runways.The Association of Fashion Designers of Spain said it wanted models to project “an image of beauty and health” and shun a gaunt, emaciated look.Nemcova appeared on the cover of the 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She has appeared in magazines including Vogue and Marie Claire, and has modelled for Victoria's Secret.